


A Heart Lost to Sea

by ChangeTheCircumstances



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Emotional Abuse, F/M, M/M, Physical Abuse, Pirate AU, but fluff to!, mermaid au, so yeah a good measure of angst, there will be a happy ending so don't worry about that, two aus for the price of one, we got fluff!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-14 00:33:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7144907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChangeTheCircumstances/pseuds/ChangeTheCircumstances
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trouble only comes from relations between merfolk and humans. Or does it? Three merfolk are forced to decide for themselves when they meet not just any humans but pirates at that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Chance Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter does focuses on Sam and Rafe but I'll have chapters later on that just focus on other characters too before people start interacting more. If you're reading this, thanks and I hope you enjoy :)

Raphael, the only son of the Lord and Lady Adler. He wasn’t a prince, his private life was not incredibly important to most of the public and he wasn’t exactly set to inherit a kingdom. However, from what his parents expected out of him, one might have thought he was inheriting the entire god damn universe.

In actuality, Raphael would inherit his parents money and palace once they both passed on but unofficially his father expected his son to follow in his footsteps and to become the Treasurer for the kingdom. Every day, every second, every moment Raphael spent with his father was a time meant for a lesson, something to be taught and something for Raphael to prove.

For most of the merfolk, Raphael was what everyone wanted to be or have, a young, good looking merman with wealth and power practically bred for one of the most powerful roles in all the kingdom. They saw a miniature Lord Adler, the spitting image of his father. They didn’t see the merman that had been told from day one that he wasn’t good enough, the merman more often referred to as the next Lord Adler rather than his own name, the merman that couldn’t trust anyone or confide in anyone because they never saw him as him, only his last name and the gold that he owned.

It was enough to drive anyone mad and some days Raphael thought that he was. Sometimes he had to fight between homicide or suicide, he fought the lingering effects of a nightmare, or he had to keep from collapsing as father again said, “Worthless” and turned away in disgust.

And even worse, there was nowhere to hide. Not in their section of the Underwater Kingdom. He never had the moment of silence he needed, the quiet, the time to just be himself, and even the night wasn’t his friend as it remained full of dark creatures of the imagination. That did not stop Raphael from trying to find a place of solitude though and after multiple attempts, Raphael found an unused water current that took him to an island.

Soon, that became his place to go. To cry or scream or simply brood in silence.

A merfolk’s scream could carry for leagues under the ocean, rippling over anything and everything, so balanced on the rocks of the island allowed for Rafe to release that frustration into the air where the noise wouldn’t carry all the way back to the kingdom.

On those rocks, he could occasionally look out and see ships passing in the distance. He sometimes thought of going close to them, to look and see a human for himself, but from what the stories said it would have been a waste of time. Better to simply examine the ships from afar, the vessels certainly more entertaining than any human. Raphael knew that he never had to worry about the ships coming near. Though the island he went to was inhabited by a colony of humans, he knew their ports to be on the other side. The land near him was hilly and uneven as well, meaning it wasn’t suitable for their land towns.

So Raphael had his spot, his one place of solitude. But even that was eventually broken.

That day had been particularly bad. He’d won the championship in the dueling tournaments, easily disarming the winner of three years. Fighting with his trident, dueling, it was one of the few things that Raphael really was good at _and_ enjoyed. Then after years and years of practice, he’d done it. To caught up in the moment, he’d allowed himself to get carried away, to smile, to think that now his father would be proud of him. He’d allowed hope to fester in his heart.

And then he’d looked up to see his father’s plain face frown and twist and the man shook his head and swam away before it was even over.

Now Raphael sat on the rocks, screaming into his hands as anger and rage and disappointment washed over him. The worst part was that he was more angry at himself than anything else though. It had been _foolish_ to think for one second his father would actually smile, actually think him worthy of anything. And now Raphael was paying the price as his already broken heart began to rot. He’d brought his trident with him, having gone straight from the tournament to the island, and now thought of all the things he could do with it.

Destroy it and be done because who was he kidding? Who would ever actually be proud of him? He could stab himself with it and end his miserable existence. But would anyone actually mourn him? Or would he just disappear like he’d never existed? He thought of going after his father with it, stabbing his beating heart and pinning him into a rock.

But like always, he did none of these things and his sobs and screams turned to silent tears as an occasional, low moan left his mouth. Raphael would have gone on like that for a moment longer when he suddenly heard movement. The footsteps were to heavy to be one of the small creatures on the island and his mind screamed ‘human’ at him.

Diving into the water and swimming behind a rock, it was only after that when he realized he’d left his trident behind. He stopped himself from going out to grab it as he’d been right and he saw his first real live human up close. Judging by the physique, Raphael determined it to be a male.

Raphael studied the creature, his eyes fixated on his legs and the way he walked over the uneven, rocky beach, eyes lighting on the trident. He looked around, likely trying to find the source of the noise and then picked up Raphael’s weapon. He studied it, seemed shocked by its weight, and then slowly put it back down. He stood, looking around, clearly waiting and hoping for someone or something to appear. However, after several long minutes he sighed and turned to leave.

Raphael was surprised he left the trident behind and almost went out to grab it right away but the man paused and turned right before stepping into the tall land stalks and brush. He waited again but finally disappeared with another disappointed sigh. Raphael swam up, snatched his trident, and quickly moved to the current that would lead him back to his home.

Already he had conflicting emotions about the human. On the one hand, he’d invaded Raphael’s space and that angered him to no end. The one place he’d found solitude and it had been tread on like everything else in his life. But on the other hand…he already wanted to know more about the man, what his style of dress meant if anything, the ring in his ear, the pipe in his hand, and really, Raphael just wanted to see the human walk again. To them it probably seemed like nothing but already Raphael was fascinated by the simple movement.

So when he got his next chance, Raphael went back to his spot. Partially out of defiance (like anyone could take that section of rocks away from him without a fight) but also because he hoped the human would show up again.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason he went back to his place. His father had asked him to do the books as practice and he’d messed up. A small mistake, insignificant and easily fixable, but a mistake nonetheless and such things always made his father’s anger increase tenfold. Raphael’s father never hit him but he knew just the right words to get under his skin, to tear him apart piece by piece. He’d been doing it for years after all.

Now Raphael sat shivering on the rocks, his fingernails digging into his arms to form half crescents as he softly repeated over and over, “I am my own person. I am my own person. I am my own person.”

It was a phrase that Raphael had gotten into the habit of repeating whenever he felt violated like he did now. The words helped him pick up the pieces that were always left, to stitch himself back together. It was a long process, one which he was used to acting upon but which also exhausted him afterwards. And he always felt like a piece of him wasn’t put back in the right place or had been left behind, like he’d inevitably lose himself no matter what. However, his usual ritual was interrupted when he heard an unfamiliar voice.

“Were you the one crying yesterday?”

Raphael immediately launched himself into the water before more could be said and went behind the rock he’d hidden behind the last time. Peaking out, he saw the same human gazing into the water where Raphael had just been.

“I didn’t mean to scare you!” the human called out. “I just…I heard you and wanted to help!”

Raphael warily stayed where he was and watched the human move about. It was easy to tell that the human wanted to look closer, maybe even dive into the water, but he actually stayed back, stayed respectful. It was only when it looked like he might leave that Raphael suddenly shouted out, realizing that he might not be so lucky with a chance encounter again.

“You didn’t!”

Raphael watched as the man paused, confused as he curiously looked around. Not ready to show himself yet, Raphael then called out, “You didn’t scare me…that is.”

The man slowly walked back over to where Raphael had been sitting. The human sat down and waited a bit. However, when Raphael didn’t show up, the human called out, “Well, didn’t mean to either way. Sorry about that. Um…I could be high off my head but did I see a tail?”

Raphael couldn’t help but snort, looking at the man’s rather confused and uncertain face. He was fairly sure the human could tell where he was from the noise, but he was still carefully looking ahead, waiting for Raphael to show himself.

He didn’t yet, instead replying from his hiding space, “You did see a tail.”

The human was silent for a moment, the uncertainty still there but a look of aw upon his face as well. “My mother told me about merfolk,” the human suddenly said. “As a child I loved those stories but as I grew…they seemed more and more like old tales told on the seven seas.”

“You were smarter as a child then. Those stories were quite true.”

“Did I just get insulted by a floating voice?”

“I thought we just established I’m very real.”

“Well, I only got a few glimpses of you. Who knows, maybe I’m imagining it all.”

“If you’re crazy, I’m probably crazy too.”

“Well at least I’m not alone in this, floating voice,” chuckled the man. He turned silent for a moment and Raphael wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that. However, after a while of silence, the man asked, “Can I at least get a name?”

“A name?”

“Yeah, just to assure myself that I’m not imagining all this,” the man smiled.

It took him a moment to respond but he finally said, “Raphael.”

“Hmm. Kind of posh. I’m Samuel but most just call me Sam. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You got a nickname?”

A nickname? Raphael didn’t even have a friend! However, all he said was, “No, I don’t have one.”

“Well you should. Let’s see…out of Raphael…how about Rafe?”

Rafe? It was so simple and uncultured yet oddly unique…it was perfect. Raphael-Rafe couldn’t help but smile at the thought. “I like it.”

“I’m glad. So Rafe, any chance you’re going to come out?”

Rafe was silent for a moment, mulling the idea over in his head. He was terrified of what might happen if he did. Most merfolk ignored humans and didn’t think anything of them but there were the horror stories. Yet only a few minutes and already this human had been more genuine and kind than any merfolk.

“Can you come the day after tomorrow?” Rafe finally asked.

“Yeah. Sure thing. Say…around this time?” asked Sam.

Rafe looked up at the sky to figure out when it was before slowly nodding. “Yes, that would be fine.”

“Hmm, what else do I get to learn about you Rafe?” asked Sam.

Going off of instinct, Rafe said, “You’ll have to wait until next time,” and dove under the water. However, he made sure to do an extra hard flick with his tail so that Sam could easily see the movement from above.

After that, Rafe suddenly found something that brought a lightness to his chest that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He was careful of course, didn’t let this joy filter into anything else as he knew he didn’t want to be disappointed, but it was there and it was clear he was looking forward to his next meeting with Sam the human.

Thankfully that day nothing particularly bad had happened with his father. Nothing good ever happened but it was one of the more manageable days so Rafe was in a fairly good mood. He got to the rocks early, trying to decide where to sit, how to reveal himself to the human. Ultimately, he hid behind the same rock and waited until Sam appeared. The human sat down in the same spot as before, curiously looking around as he clearly contemplated whether to call out or not.

Rafe let him sit for a while before making a splashing noise, announcing his presence. “Hello Sam.”

“Hey Rafe. So whatcha up to today?”

“What am I up to?”

“Well, what do merfolk get up to?”

Rafe was shocked. He’d though for sure that Sam would demand to see him since Rafe had promised the last time. Instead, he just casually asked questions and they went back and forth for a moment, learning that the way humans and merfolk ran things wasn’t that different. It was casual and honest and Sam didn’t try to force Rafe to show himself. It was that fact, that made Rafe inch out from behind the rock, little by little, until his shoulders and head could seen.

Sam had of course seen out of his peripheral vision but he only fully focused on Rafe when Rafe had completely come out of his hiding spot. For a moment they just stared at each other, each amazed in their own way until Sam muttered, “Wow.”

Rafe couldn’t tell if that noise was a good or bad thing and he hesitantly moved closer though there was still a good bit of space between him and Sam. The human didn’t come any closer though and Rafe asked, “What did you expect? Sharp teeth and ugly gray skin?”

He half expected the human to say yes. Or maybe he found Rafe’s appearance odd and strange anyways and their connection would end here.

But instead Sam just smirked and said, “I didn’t know what to expect but…wow.”

Rafe cocked his head to the side. He didn’t want to embarrass himself by asking if ‘wow’ was a good or bad thing but from the way Sam was grinning, Rafe would have bet on a good thing. Rafe experimentally then flicked his tail out of the water, curious what Sam would do.

His reaction was almost comical except it wasn’t long until Sam was teasing Rafe on how fascinated he was by Sam’s legs. Their mutual amusement and wonder made it easier to come closer until they were soon poking and prodding at each other, Rafe studying Sam’s legs from every angle as Sam carefully glided fingers over Rafe’s white tale whenever it splashed above the water.

There were other differences too though. Rafe’s hands had been born with repeating grooves in them so he could easily grip things while Sam had developed things called calluses that had to be worked for rather than being born with. They each carefully held the other’s palm, glided fingers over the skin, each fascinated by the different texture.

Rafe’s hair also didn’t absorb water, not like Sam’s did anyway, and Rafe quickly became interested in wetting Sam’s hair and watching how it changed. He splashed at Sam a few times and the man retaliated some though his attempts clearly weren’t that much of a deal for a merfolk.

Rafe then made Sam lift up his shirt so he could see if humans had gills as well as lungs. He was shocked to find they didn’t and quickly felt around Sam’s ribs and side until the human laughed, clearly having been tickled. Sam was equally interested in Rafe’s gills too. They were on either side of his body, just below the ribs. It was clear Sam was tempted to poke at them but he stopped himself from doing that since they were part of Rafe’s breathing system.

Neither seemed to realize how long they simply sat together until the sun started setting and Sam said, “I hate to say this but I gotta get going.”

“Oh,” Rafe murmured, a bit taken aback. It made sense that Sam had other things to do but the sudden words still threw him. Nevertheless, the next words shocked Rafe even more.

“Will you come back?”

“Too meet you?”

“Preferably,” chuckled Sam.

“I…I don’t usually come at a set time or anything…”

“Then I’ll just have to show up whenever I can,” Sam replied. “You promise you’ll come back, won’t you Rafe?”

“I was coming here long before you. Promise that you’ll come back,” said Rafe.

“Point taken,” snorted Sam. “Alright. I promise. Until next time huh?”

Rafe nodded. Both then froze and they realized that they wanted to be the one to watch the other disappear before turning and leaving, essentially getting the last glance. Sam snorted again as Rafe rolled his eyes. A compromise was made and Rafe swam farther out before diving deep and shooting up into the air with a back flip. Popping back up out of the water, Rafe could see Sam grin and give one last wave from the shore before turning and leaving. Rafe watched until Sam’s form completely disappeared and then he reluctantly went under again and headed back home.

After that, Sam became the one bright light Rafe had, the one thing he could count on and believe in and look forward to. He started to tell Sam secrets, secrets he had never spoken out loud to anyone else. Sam did the same, telling of his past, the passing of his mother and the abandonment of his father, how he’d been basically raising his younger brother since they were little, all of it. Maybe to some it would have been dismal, telling a tragedy to simply hear another. But Rafe had honestly never felt freer. He was able to speak his mind and have someone actually listen to him and make him feel valid. Sam seemed to be getting that too.

And what occurred on the worst days? The days when something so awful had happened that Rafe couldn’t keep it in? Sam let him rant or sob or scream and he was simply there with a comforting hand and a kind smile.

Once, Sam dunked himself into the water, clothes and all without hesitation so that way he could properly hug Rafe. It was the first hug Rafe could ever remember receiving and as he kept them both afloat with a steady hand on one of the rocks, he wrapped his tale around Sam and pulled him closer, pulled him tight like he’d never let go and Sam did the same.

Things weren’t always so emotional and deep. A lot of times they simply asked each other what certain items were called, if the equivalent of ‘x’ existed in the opposite world. There was still laughter, still smirks and smiles and slight glances. There was the pain but there was the joy and Rafe was simply Rafe, nothing more and nothing less.

Rafe never would have thought that a human of all things would become his confidant, someone he could trust, his one true friend, but Sam was there and he became all those things and each day seemed more possible and brighter simply because of it.

And then after five consecutive days, Sam didn’t come back.

Rafe came back again and again as ideas and thoughts came to his mind. There was so much fear, fear that Sam was dead, fear that Sam had purposely abandoned him, that he no longer cared. Sam had become his support and Rafe had grown dependant of him but without the man there, Rafe started to fall apart, started to crumble and had no idea what to do. And Rafe was angry, so god damn angry that after finally finding someone he was alone again.

That anger grew, spread into his personal life and work. It changed him from the quiet son of Lord Adler and he became known as hard and controlling and volatile and no one dared to cross him.

There was one moment when Rafe was alone with his father and the man was saying the word “worthless” over and over again. He wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t shut up, just kept going. It was so much, so much of a feeling of tearing apart and falling apart and pieces of him slowly dying off and he just couldn’t take it anymore and after years of thinking it, Rafe finally grabbed the nearest sharp object and shoved it through his father’s beating heart.

That feeling of satisfaction hadn't come though. If anything, he’d felt the opposite because now he really never would get his father’s approval. He was gone and he’d killed him.

Rafe went back to the island after that and sobbed upon the rocks, screamed into the night air, begging for something, anything, but Sam still did not return. It was at that point that Rafe accepted that Sam never would come back, that he was alone and would have to accept what he’d become.

Yet with that knowledge, with his actions proving that fact, Rafe still dragged himself to those rocks after a few days had passed, still watching and waiting for the man that he knew wouldn’t return.


	2. Poor Judgments and Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one centers around Chloe. Hope you enjoy :)

From the very beginning of Chloe’s life, she’d had little interest in playing by the rules. The merfolk seemed to pride themselves with their order and civility compared with the humans that sailed and walked above them. But Chloe knew better, knew that humans and merfolk were more alike and that the merfolk were far from perfect. Still, until others came to see that too, Chloe was alone in her ideals and it created a rather rebellious childhood. She got a kick out of causing trouble. In her book, as long as no one got hurt, it was all good and anything broken could be fixed and anything stolen replaced.

And what was more rebellious and tantalizing and forbidden than falling for a human?

Chloe knew of the other Underwater kingdoms in different parts of the world but travel between them was rare due to the lengths it took and the dangers the extremely deep and open oceans presented. Because of that, she had no idea what other kingdoms thought of when humans and merfolk got involved.

However, she did know that in her home it was more than just frowned upon. It was outright forbidden. Horror stories surrounded the humans. Those were the tales that kept children up at night. Yet whereas most were struck with fear, Chloe was just more fascinated by them, especially when it became so clear that they weren’t that different from the merfolk.

However, Chloe had the misfortune of falling for the first human that caught her eyes, Harry Flynn. A backstabbing Captain of what was known as the British Empire that fought against pirates on one day only to scavenge up the remains of his colleagues’ ships to sell the stuff off to the very same criminals.

Chloe was sure that as far as humans went, he certainly wasn’t the nicest, but he was charming and interesting and he provided for plenty of enjoyment when he was in her part of the ocean.

The first time they met, Chloe had been near the ports, nearer than any merfolk in her home would have gone. Her eyes lighted on the _Bevington_. It wasn’t the biggest ship but it was the sleekest and probably the fastest. She remained under water as the men climbed into the vessels and started heading for ports. Chloe’s eyes fell upon the most well dressed man, the one that everyone parted for and sat at the front of his small vessel.

He was good looking for a human and held himself well. He was in control. So Chloe floated up and knocked the boat, not hard enough for anyone to fall in, but to clearly unsettle the men as everyone staggered and looked about.

She was deep enough in the water that their human eyes couldn’t make her out. Just as the humans settled again, she swam up and hit the underside again, rocking them back and forth. She could hear their muffled shouts and watched as the Captain leaned over, eyes straining to see anything underneath. They were confused and one sounded like he believed something supernatural was occurring though most of the men told him to shut up and it was just an unsteady current. Still, the Captain leaned over even farther and with a grin, Chloe hit the boat hard and the man toppled into the water.

Shocked, he struggled to get back to the surface but suddenly stopped when Chloe came near. She gave him a mischievous smirk, put a finger to her lips, and then helped to push the man back to the surface. She saw that he grabbed the side of the boat and quickly swam deeper, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to make her out.

Chloe listened to their concerns and confusion and finally caught a name, Flynn.

Flynn didn’t say anything, maybe he thought he’d imagined the encounter, but Chloe stayed with the boat for a moment longer, curious if she could learn anything else.

She stuck around the area, unhooking boats or crates, knocking people over without them realizing it, and just generally causing mischievous as she waited for Flynn to show again. He did, just like she’d believed. It was later and not many were on the dock. The moment Flynn was alone, Chloe swam closer and came out of the water.

The man jumped and she could see him mouth to himself, _so I didn’t imagine it_. It then looked like he was about to shout something so Chloe dove back under. He stopped himself and Chloe remained under for several moments before slowly coming back up.

“It’s better when things are kept secret,” Chloe said softly.

Flynn huffed and took a step closer. He looked around and then slowly lowered himself until he was sitting on the edge.

“You’re actually a flippin’ mermaid,” he muttered.

“What? Thought I dressed up like this on my off days just to annoy people like you?” Chloe asked.

“You did more than just annoy. You almost bloody drowned me!”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “You were fine. I wasn’t going to let you drown.”

“Then why the hell did you knock me out of the boat?”

“Was there any other way to get solely your attention?” asked Chloe with a smirk.

“Wanted just my attention?”

“Why else would I have specifically knocked you overboard,” Chloe grinned.

Flynn gave a half smile of his own. “Hmm, you sure you’re a mermaid? Sounds like you’re a siren.”

Chloe snorted. “Sirens are just pissy merfolk with a thing for offing humans. I’m sure there are plenty of humans that would like to get their hands on someone of the merfolk as well.”

“Ever thought I might be one of those people?”

“The danger makes it more fun. Besides, you didn’t call out earlier like you could have.”

“Maybe I wanted you all to myself as well.”

“But you don’t really know me Captain Flynn! It’s because of my looks. Isn’t it?”

“I may not know you but how the hell do you know my name?”

“I heard it. And your clothes suggested a captain.”

“Hmm and what’s your name?”

She smiled. “Chloe.”

“You create quite a bit of trouble, don’t you Chloe.”

“It’s my specialty.”

They talked some more and met several more times before Flynn gave her an offer. One which intrigued her to no end. Giving her the names and locations of the ship, Chloe easily went around and started targeting those that Flynn asked her to, stealing purses and trinkets and gold. Sometimes it was just to easy but other times involved tact and skill and sometimes she and Flynn even worked together.

He occasionally left the area for a short voyage but for basically a year, they helped each other, getting things the other was curious about and wanted. It brought a level of change and fun to Chloe’s life like never before. Flynn seemed to understand her better than anyone back home and here they actually benefitted each other.

And then Flynn gave her the offer. He admitted that he didn’t know how dangerous it might be for her, but that if she wanted to, she could go with him on a voyage across the ocean.

For Chloe, the idea of finally going elsewhere, the possibility of becoming something and the fact that someone wanted her by their side made her leap with joy. She would have a chance of seeing the ocean, the world. Everything was expanding for her so she took it, took the opportunity with a wicked grin and the idea that she’d do it all with Flynn.

But the moment she swam near the _Bevington_ , expecting to see Flynn, nets came down and she was wrenched from the water.

To Chloe’s credit, she managed to break several noses and even a jaw. She knocked one man overboard and bit through another’s hand. But it wasn’t enough. There were simply to many and with several hard hits to her head, the world went dark.

Chloe woke to find her hands chained to a wall and her tail tied down.  And there was Flynn standing above her, a smug look on his face.

“What the hell are you trying to play at!? Let me out!” she yelled, pulling and straining against her chains.

Flynn just shook his head though, a slightly amazed look about him. “That man that fell overboard, Cooker? He hit his head and drowned. You really think I’m going to let you go after killing him?”

“Why did you take me in the first place!?”

“Well I mean…it’s obvious isn’t it?”

Chloe remained silent, her face hard.

“You’re a mermaid. You do understand that, right?” Flynn asked. “You’re worth something on the market.”

“Perhaps I should cut off your head then and see what its worth,” Chloe spit out as she leaned forward as much as she could. “I’m guessing not much.”

“Still feisty. I’d cut out your tongue if it wouldn’t lower the price so much.”

“So you’re selling me?!”

“Well, just taking some scales and hair and selling those pieces off will give us a pretty penny but yeah…eventually I’ll get a buyer that will pay handsomely.”

“You promised! You made me laugh and smile! You made me trust you!”

“Only up to the plan. Did you really think I looked at you and saw anything else but a prospect?” snorted Flynn. “You’re a mermaid. You’re just a bigger fish that will sell for a bigger price.”

“I’m not a fish,” growled out Chloe, her knuckles going white from how hard she was clenching them.

“Really? Because I think these scales beg to differ.”

Suddenly Flynn had a knife out. Chloe tried to struggle but the bonds were tight and she couldn’t avoid the hand that steadied her before he removed one of her dark red scales. Chloe didn’t cry out, even if she wanted to, instead keeping her look of hatred trained on him.

Flynn leaned back with a satisfied smirk as he looked the red scale over. “You’d be surprised what this will go for.” He stood up and pocketed the scale, seeming satisfied for the moment, but he paused at the door and looked back. “And just for the record love, all I promised you was that you’d get to see the world.”

He left with those parting words and from there, Chloe quickly began to lose track of time. The first part of her capture consisted of beatings. It seemed that the sailors were incredibly pissed for the wounds she’d given them and the death of one of their mates. Flynn gave them permission to take it out on her as long as nothing became permanent.

When the beatings started to ease off though, there was plenty of other things. Getting her scales regularly plucked was always a painful process that had her trembling and clenching her fists. The fact that she wasn’t in water kept her in a constant state of exhaustion as well. Every time it got to bad though, a sailor would gather up some water and then dump her in it, giving her moments of relief before that was taken away too.

She got her hair cut off, had nicks made in her skin that would heal quickly but would be able to create beads of blood that was collected elsewhere.

Every day she felt like she was growing weaker, every moment a nightmare. That didn’t stop her from retaliating though, from getting creative and trying any and every idea under the sun to get out. Even if her bonds made most attempts futile, she always struggled, always fought. At the very least she could try and make it difficult.

She never really knew what was going on though she could tell if they came in contact with a hostile ship by the noises that filtered into what had become her cell. Sometimes she imagined the ship sinking and her finally getting free and away from that wretched place. But then she thought of the idea of the ship sinking and her remaining trapped, of starving to death instead.

There seemed to be no out, no possibility no matter how hard she tried to think up a solution. But then the ship got into a fight that it couldn’t win and it couldn’t outrun. Chloe could already tell from the cracking of the wood, the canon fire that seemed to be everywhere and the fact that the wood started to become weak enough that suddenly all her tugging and pulling of the chains finally gave way. But her tail was still securely down and there was nothing she could do about it.

But then suddenly the door was opening and Chloe grabbed the broken pieces of wood and chains. It wasn’t much but she would use it to the best of her ability.

The person that entered was a human but he didn’t seem shocked to find her there. It was that fact that Chloe simply dubbed that it had to be someone on the ship that she now just couldn’t remember the name or face of.

Brandishing what she had scrounged up, she growled out, “You touch me and I’ll kill you.”

She didn’t need to scream or shout now. Her eyes and face showed that she wasn’t bluffing and that, if anything, she might just kill the human anyways. But the man quickly put up his hands and said in an unfamiliar accent, “I’m just trying to help!”

“Why the hell would you help me?”

“Because…because it’s the right thing to do.” The man tried. “Listen, I’m not with Flynn but I got word that there was a merfolk on board and I’m just trying to help so you don’t get stuck with the ship when it goes down.”

She didn’t believe him and she was pretty sure he knew that. But he still approached and when the knife came out, she threw the chains at him like a whip. The man cried out and took a step back but instead of giving up, he launched himself forward and broke apart one of the ropes. He then jumped back again, avoiding Chloe’s next swing.

“See? Just trying to help,” the man responded.

Chloe narrowed her eyes. “Why? Why would you waste your time with this if the ship really will go down?”

“Not all people are assholes like Flynn,” the man replied. “Besides, I’ve met some of your kind before.”

Slowly, he came forward again. Chloe kept her chains ready but when the man brought out his knife again, all he did was slice through more ropes until all Chloe had to do was flip her tail upwards and she was finally free. However, she was still in the ship and getting out might not be so easy.

“We don’t have times to get the chains off now. Can you swim with the chains?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine.”

The man nodded, relieved at that. “If you stick around, I can probably help you get them off. Though I wouldn’t blame you if you ran off right away.” He took several more steps forward but the moment Chloe tensed, he stopped.

“What are you doing?” she asked wearily.

“Uh…picking you up,” the man said. “Unless if you want to stay and wait for the ship to fall with only a possibility of escaping…but…”

“Just come on then,” growled Chloe.

She couldn’t help but flinch when the man came even closer, after all it had been a while since she’d been near a human that hadn’t done her harm, but the man was careful and made sure each movement he made was obvious before he finally scooped her up in his arms.

“I’m Nate by the way. Your name?”

“You care?’

“Just trying to be polite,” he huffed.

Chloe remained silent and he just let out another sigh as he quickly took her out of the room. The inside of the ship was empty but the moment they were out on deck it was chaos. The mast had fallen, bodies were strewn about though fighting still continued, guns going off, canons flying left and right, swords clashing, but Nate went straight for the side and the moment they were near Chloe shoved herself out of Nate’s arms and flew into the water.

The sudden feel of it around her and on her skin almost brought herself to tears but she simply breathed deeply through the gills on her sides and floated in the water. However, that momentary peace was quickly broken as there was a ship battle going on above her.

For a moment, she thought about just swimming away then and there. But as she let her senses come back to her and she felt the movement of the water, Chloe knew that she had no idea where she was. Her best bet would be to follow the other ship back towards land. That meant sticking around for the battle. Because of that, she quickly went about, avoiding the falling debris and the collapsing ship. If she paused to make sure a captor did drown, it certainly didn’t weigh down her conscience.

As Chloe moved about though, getting feeling back and simply moving freely for the first time in which was likely months, she suddenly spotted one fallen sailor. Nate, the one that had rescued her. He slowly sank in a cloud of blood that stemmed from a wound on his side.

Looking up, Chloe could see the ship above her fully breaking apart, the wretched thing sinking below the water. She had only a few seconds to decide to move Nate or leave him there to die. There was the chance that he’d die anyways from the wound, but looking at his smooth, unmoving face, Chloe figured it was a risk worth taking. He’d saved her after all, and even with the nature of her captivity, she didn’t think all humans were bastards like Flynn. She’d just been unlucky that he was the first that caught her eye.

With that in mind, she grabbed Nate and swam away from the sinking ship. She swam towards the other ship and upon going near, she noted the flag and lack of a singular uniform.

They were pirates, just like the stories Flynn had told her before becoming captured.

Chloe swam above the water and brought Nate towards his ship. There were several others that had fallen overboard that swam towards the ship and the fact that they didn’t seem shocked by her confused her even more. She stayed as far away from them as possible and flinched when one man came forward.

However, he easily said, “I’m just going to carry him alright? If you stick around, we can get someone to get those chains off of you.”

Chloe carefully passed Nate over to the other man and grabbed onto the ropes on the side of the ship. She watched as the pirates climbed aboard their ship, one with Nate slung over his back. Not long after they climbed onto their ship, an older man with a large hat leaned overboard.

His eyes lighted upon her and he called down, “I must say thank you for saving my good friend.”

“Will he live?” asked Chloe.

“Yes, all thanks to you,” the man replied. “I’m Victor Sullivan, Captain of the _Silver Skull_. We’ll help you with those chains if you like.”

“Why?!” she yelled back.

“Because there are still some people that care about decency,” Victor called back.

“Your crew didn’t seem shocked by me. Why?” asked Chloe.

Victor looked like he was about to respond but paused to listen to something from behind him. He turned back and said, “Let me get my crew under control and I’ll be right back.”

Chloe waited as she heard the distinct sound of men milling around. After a while, she saw Victor and another pirate climb into one of the lifeboats. It was lowered down but they didn’t unhook it, allowing the boat to float next to their ship.

Hesitantly and with her chains at the ready to lash out if needed, she swam over.

“If you’ll give him your hands, he can get the chains off for you,” Victor supplied, “and I’ll answer any questions that you may need.”

“Flynn’s dead right?” Chloe blurted out.

“No prisoners.”

That allowed Chloe to breathe a sigh of relief, even if she would have liked to see the bastard’s final moments. “Why are none of your men shocked by me?” she then asked. “Flynn and his men had never seen a mermaid until they caught me.”

“There are always those that are bigger believers of legends and stories than others. That and a great many of my crew have come in contact with your people before,” Victor supplied as the other man began to work on one of her hands.

“Still doesn’t explain why you would help me. After all, you’re pirates.”

“We may pillage and plunder but, at least with my crew, we do not attack without good reason,” replied Victor.

“And Flynn?”

“He’d backstabbed us a few times. His time was up.”

Chloe snorted, not doubting his words for a second. She turned her gaze to the chains as the first one came off.

“So, where do you need to get back to?” asked Victor.

She looked at him with confusion on her face.

“Where’s home?”

“Near what you call the British Isles.”

“Hmm, you’re a ways from them,” Victor said, “but if you stick around long enough, we could find you safe passage to get back there.”

Go back home? Already the thought immediately repulsed her. The amount of shame that would have fallen upon her would have been unbearable. Every face would have carried that look of ‘I told you so’ and it would have continued until she died. She’d never been a part of that home anyways. Better to continue on instead of remaining in the past.

“I think I’ll stay,” she replied as the second cuff finally came off and the chains floated to the bottom of the ocean.

“I’m glad to hear it,” said Victor. “Just need one thing from you. A name.”

“Chloe.”

Victor held out his hand. “Good to meet you Chloe. Welcome to the crew of the Silver Skull.”

Chloe simply gave a stiff nod and took his hand, deciding to let time be a factor before she thanked anyone.


	3. The Chance to Make a Difference

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this little story really is for my own self-indulgence and enjoyment so a big thank you for anyone reading it. I'll try to get the next and last chapter out soon.

Not many merfolk traveled and not many seemed to care what happened outside of their own kingdom, even the ones that were more attached and involved with their nearby human neighbors. Elena did not share that same mentality however and believed that merfolk needed to know what was going on if they wanted to be a part of the world. And they should be a part of the world. If ideas and information would just flow more freely, who knew what could be achieved.

Because of that Elena had taken it upon herself to do that, to brave the dangers of travel and go to anywhere and everywhere. It meant that she wasn’t always safe, far from it. That there were plenty of almost near death experiences that she had come across, but she had survived and made so many friends because of it.

Now she traveled through a new underwater kingdom. It was near a small island inhabited by humans yet despite that the merfolk there didn’t interact with them whatsoever. Elena thought that a shame and hoped that maybe her arrival would change that.

Upon her arrival, people seemed shocked by the arrival of a merfolk from a different kingdom. Her bright yellow tail made her stand out to the soft, almost white colors that the native merfolk had. They were polite enough but plenty of odd glances followed her around and it seemed that rather quickly they realized that she was the mermaid that traveled the world and consorted with humans. Apparently her reputation preceded her.

Nevertheless, one merman interested her because he was the only one that didn’t glance her way, that almost seemed to avoid her when she came near. What with how curious everyone else was, it was an oddity that intrigued Elena and she quickly got a story and a name.

Apparently the merman hated anything and everything that had to do with humans. He avoided them like the plague and, seeing as Elena was so chummy with them, he avoided her as well. His name was Rafe Adler and after hearing the rather vague story, she wanted to find out more. It was difficult though as he didn’t seem one to socialize unless absolutely necessary. He ran the treasury for that underwater kingdom though and therefore did have to attend several public outings simply as a means of ceremony. Because of that, Elena managed to get herself into one and quickly tracked down the merman.

However, her advances hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“I’m not interested in you or your work so please, leave me be,” Rafe said the moment she approached him.

“I just have a few—”

“I am not interested,” he said, turning to her with gritted teeth. “Just leave me alone.”

His tone had made it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate anymore from her yet the odd look of pain in his eyes just made Elena more curious. She didn’t approach him again at that event, deciding it best if he calmed down first, but when he did leave and started to swim home, Elena quickly followed after him.

She’d done rather covert expeditions before, some even leading her inland up rivers and into lakes to study humans and other types of wildlife. Yet this merman must have been incredibly paranoid or had some heightened sense because he seemed to pick up her presence right away. However, he didn’t call her out on it until they were alone, which in that case he quickly swam around a corner and out of view. Elena went after him as quickly as possible only to have hands grab her shoulders and spin her around.

“Why. Are. You. Following. Me,” hissed the merman in clipped tones.

“I’m just trying to understand—”

“For some worthless story? I don’t care. Now leave me alone,” he replied before pushing her to the side and swam away.

Elena didn’t let that deter her though and went after him. “Listen, I’m just curious about why you’re so against humans.”

“Who said that?” growled Rafe as he spun back in the water to glare at her.

“No one,” Elena replied. “But out of everyone in this kingdom, you’re the only one who has avoided me. And I feel like it makes more sense for that to be because of my connection to the humans than me being from another merkingdom.”

“Perhaps I just hate everyone and you’re imagining that you’re special,” Rafe shot back.

“Harsh. Come now, I don’t think it’s that simple.”

“Whether or not it’s that simple, read my lips. Leave me alone. Now.”

Again, Elena let it go for the moment but didn’t stop in the following days. Every time, she stopped just short of when Rafe Adler might have hit her and would finally leave him be, letting his anger and annoyance disperse. The rest of the time, she tried to learn more about him from the residents but he either had the world’s most boring life or the most secretive.

All he ever did was work unless some social pleasantries were required. Occasionally he would disappear for a time with no one knowing where he’d gone off to but that seemed to be the only mystery people asked. He didn’t have any friends, didn’t talk to people unless absolutely necessary, and around the death of his father he’d gone from an oddly sad, quiet merman to an incredibly angry one, angry at the world and anything in it. Most attributed it to the death but Elena wasn’t so sure. It was to simple, to cut and dry, and Rafe Adler definitely seemed more complex than that.

After multiple failed attempts, she finally just went directly to his home. Oddly enough, she was let in by a servant and led to a library where Rafe Adler was swimming near the top of a shelf, looking over the books.

“So is my privacy not even my own now?” asked Rafe Adler as he slid something into place before swimming back down and towards Elena.

The servant had already gone, leaving the two alone. Elena made a small huff and said, “Well, you haven’t exactly been answering me before…”

“And you think I’ll answer you in my own home?” he growled out.

She shrugged, a small smirk upon her lips. “Why not give it a shot? Hmm? I want to know your story.”

“So you can write it down for some gold and spread it around,” Rafe said with obvious disgust in his face.

“So I can understand you.”

Her words seemed to shock Rafe and for an almost awkward amount of time, he just stared. However, any vulnerability there vanished in a blink of the eye as he muttered, “The last time I let someone understand me was a mistake that I will not make again.”

It was difficult to say if it was an accident or intentional, almost like a cry of help for somebody to push at his walls. Either way, it was something that Elena could work with. Who was it that Rafe had let in? What had happened because of it? For the moment, she let the issue go and didn’t press farther, deciding that simply responding with that had been tiresome enough for the merman.

Elena did not forget his words though and the next day she showed up at his home again. He didn’t let anything else drop but he let her in again. She did most of the talking, telling about where she was originally from and some of the creatures and things she had seen. It was difficult to say if Rafe was interested or not as he rarely responded and most times went about with her rambling on as he focused on some form of work.

However, after her third visit, he finally responded when she started to talk about a human.

“It’s hard to say if anything is really there. I think he might be interested in someone else. But we’ve had some wonderful adventures together. In fact I got to be there when he fought—”

“How can you trust a human?” Rafe suddenly said.

“Hmm?” Elena looked curiously at the merman, surprised that he’d spoken up.

“You’ve saved this human from certain death several times. He’s helped you. I don’t understand how you could put such faith in a human.”

“Well we’re all people.”

“No, they are people. We are merfolk.”

“So? We all live on the same planet,” Elena replied. “And we both have feelings, likes and dislikes. Emotions and hearts.”

“They’re slimier than eels.”

Elena rolled her eyes and snorted. “Of course there are the bastards. But there are awful merfolks too. Or are merfolk around here really so naïve as to not believe that?”

Rafe was silent for a moment before he murmured, “No, they are not that naïve. I have met one of those bastards myself.”

“But humans are all just bastards huh?”

“They are not worth the time.”

“But there’s so much that can be learned from them and so much we could share if—”

“I think that’s enough for today,” Rafe replied, and that was the end of that meeting.

Of course, Elena came back and managed to get a little more out of Rafe, piece by piece. It helped that she so willing gave out information about herself to him and one day he finally opened up. He told her about the human on the rocks and the sudden disappearance and his downhill spiral from there.

“No wonder you don’t want to get involved,” murmured Elena, “but you realize that they have their own world, their government and system and ways of doing things right? Just about anything could have happened to him.”

Rafe just shook his head with a soft sigh. “I thought about him for years. Thought about all the possibilities. I don’t know which ones are more horrifying. That he chose to leave or that he left because he had no choice, either through incarceration or…or death.”

“I could try to find out.”

“What?” asked Rafe, shock clear in his voice.

“Well, it won’t be easy. Do you have a name?”

“Only his first one. Samuel though he preferred Sam.”

“Hmm, that will definitely make it more difficult. And it happened over ten years ago. I wonder if anyone would remember,” Elena mused. “Can you take me to the island where he lived.”

“Yes but merfolk aren’t really…regulars there. We don’t mix,” Rafe replied. “It could be quite dangerous.”

“Ah it won’t be that bad. Besides, I know someone originally from this area. Should make it easier,” replied Elena with a grin.

After that Rafe guided her to the streams that would bring her to the island and Elena quickly went to its port. She’d been in areas that were more knowledgeable of their mermaid counterparts and places that weren’t, those that welcomed her and those that hated her kind. She knew how to slip out of most nets and always carried a knife strapped to her waist just in case.

She swam with her head above the water, looking around at the ships out in the sea and the boats headed to the ports. People milled about on the docks though worked did start to slow as people’s eyes lightened on her and she came into focus.

“Hello,” Elena said as she swam towards one of the men. “Could I bother you for just a moment?”

He stared dumbfounded and shocked. Some held similar looks but there were a few that weren’t so shocked by her presence and finally came over.

“Hello miss,” said one woman. “I apologize for the rest of the villagers. Most aren’t used to merfolk and many haven’t even seen one yet.”

“That’s alright. As long as someone keeps the ability to talk to me,” Elena grinned. “I’m actually looking for someone but it’s likely been some time since he’s been around.”

“Well I’ve lived here all my life. Perhaps I could help.”

Elena grinned and quickly gave the description that Rafe had given her along with the name and any other small details. The woman smiled and told her to meet her in the same place the next day. Elena agreed to it and then spent most of the day talking and learning about the port. The shocked citizens and sailors were friendly enough though not exactly great at conversation as they all stared more than talked.

Afterwards, she went back to the underwater kingdom until the next day where she met the same woman as before. She told her that she’d asked around and that there was a Sam that still lived on the island but wouldn’t have been able to walk around for the past twelve years.

“From what I could get, physically he seems similar to the Samuel you described. But if he is the right one, he’s locked up,” the woman said.

“What for?” asked Elena.

“Killed two men. By accident mind you but they worked for the governor here so there was no sadness to be held in the judge’s heart.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“Oh of course. I was about fifteen when it happened. The biggest news our little home had for a while,” the woman said. “You see, he’d been a trouble boy for some time. People still loved him, and his younger brother too, but he never could get a straight job. Not that I could blame him. Being the sole provider for him and his brother, it was difficult surviving just for day to day life. Though no one knew for sure, most say he got a job that was enough to pay for passage and a new life somewhere else.”

“But something went wrong,” replied Elena.

The woman gave a solemn nod. “Perhaps it was staged. Perhaps it was just unlucky. But he didn’t manage to get out of the governor’s house in time. Tried to get away, stabbed one guard in self defense and knocked another off a balcony.”

“And he’s been stuck in jail since then?”

The woman nodded.

“What happened to the brother?”

“No one knows for sure. He just disappeared one day. Up and left.”

There was an odd familiarity to the story, one that reminded her of a good friend. “What was his name? His and the brother’s?”

“Nathan. Nathan and Samuel Morgan.”

It was likely just a coincidence. Nathan was a popular name, both on land and under water. Yet the fact that Nate had come from this island as well, and was about the right age to be this Sam’s younger brother seemed to work out to well. Nate had avoided talking a lot about his past so Elena didn’t know much. His last name was also Drake but changing that would have been easy.

“And Samuel Morgan is still here?”

“Yep, up in our little jail.”

“Thank you for your time,” Elena smiled. “You’ve been incredibly helpful.”

The woman smiled. “No problem.”

They talked a little longer but Elena quickly went back to the underwater kingdom to meet with Rafe and tell him what she’d learned. He didn’t allow himself to become hopeful about this news yet when Elena said she was going to push more, he didn’t tell her it was a waste of time either. Soon, she was excusing herself and saying good bye, though only for a while, as she found a current to the main land and towards what many humans referred to as the ‘New World’ (Elena thought that a bit silly, it had been there all along, but who was she to dictate what humans did or didn’t say).

There was a person she knew that lived on the east coast though. One that had known Nate for a while. He was out of the pirate business now, settled down with a fake name and papers. He’d come up with the reason that he was healing from losing one of his legs but Elena was fairly sure he just needed a good reason to get involved in pirating again besides simple greed, which probably seemed counterintuitive to most but it was just how the man thought.

The trip took nearly a week, even with Elena taking the fastest paths and only stopping when she absolutely had to. Eventually, she got to sectioned off area known as a colony. The port was a busy one, one of the main ones for that landmass, and it was impossible to not get spotted. Most either didn’t care or seemed slightly shocked and interested in her presence. One man yelled to grab hold of her which quickly had Elena diving under the water and away. Still, she stuck around until she could get around to asking someone.

Giving a name didn’t help so Elena described the man she was looking for. “Big and burly, bald, peg leg, got a scar on his lip and eyebrow.”

That got the gears in the human’s head turning and they eventually told her where he lived. Not that it helped much. Wasn’t like she could just walk up on land and go to him. That eventually clicked in the human’s head and they left to go tell him he was being paged by a mermaid.

Elena waited patiently, sometimes having to change her position from the more nosey and slightly worrisome humans but found her way back to the meeting spot when she finally saw the man headed down the dock.

“Elena. Never thought you’d want to see me.”

“Don’t get to worked up. This isn’t a social call Charlie Cutter,” Elena said with a roll of her eyes. “I need information and you’re the only person who might know what I need and isn’t constantly moving about the world.”

“Who’s it for?”

“Myself and a friend and Nate.”

“Couple of people resting on this info then,” Charlie replied. “Hope I don’t disappoint. What do you need?”

“Information about Nate. You knew him in his early life, correct?”

“Nathan Drake? Sure. Victor Sullivan knows more but I did know a little.”

“Then do you know if Nate ever changed his name?”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “Yeah but most people don’t know that.”

“Know what he changed it from?”

“Morgan.”

“Did he ever have a brother?”

“Now how the hell are you finding all this out?” asked Charlie. “Nate’s locked all this up nice and tight and like to pretend he never had a brother in the first place. What with him dying and all.”

That certainly explained why Nate hadn’t brought this up before. “But that’s the thing. I don’t think he’s dead.”

“Come again?”

“He’s in jail. On that island colony where they grew up,” Elena replied. “It was confirmed by a local that a Samuel Morgan was in jail after killing two officers of the governor.”

Charlie shook his head. “I can’t believe that. After all this time. But I got no idea how to tell Nathan. Rumor has it that Sullivan’s fleet is wrecking havoc on a British colony in India but there’s also word that he’s been at Tortuga or there’s the story that he’s in the New World.”

“So there’s no way to readily contact him about this,” sighed Elena.

“No, doesn’t mean we can’t do anything though.”

Elena gave him a curious look. “I thought you had retired from all that pirate work. What with the leg and everything.”

“If I’m being honest, I was just trying to make an excuse,” muttered Charlie. “I thought I wanted a life of calm. Thought losing my leg would make me realize it wasn’t worth it. In all honesty I’ve just been bored out of my mind.”

“Honestly, that’s the most sensible thing I’ve heard you say since this whole ‘retirement’,” muttered Elena. “So what’s the plan?”

“Well, first I’ll commandeer a ship.”

Elena rolled her eyes. “Of course. You’ll need a crew though.”

“I’ve got a few that could help. Got a good bit saved up to so I could probably buy the rest.”

“Then we’re breaking this Samuel Morgan out of prison.”

“You got that right,” Charlie said. “Though I am curious why you’re doing this.”

“If this really is Nate’s long-lost, thought dead, brother, then think about how wonderful this will be for him,” Elena replied. “That and just hearing the man’s story doesn’t make me think he deserves to rot in a cell forever.”

“And this friend of yours? I know him?”

“No.”

“Well how does he fit into this?”

“If this is the same man that my friend is thinking of,” responded Elena, “then I think he’ll want Samuel Morgan out of that prison as much as we do.”

And then days passed full of action and movement as Charlie set this plan into motion along with some help from Elena. She used some of her own trinkets she’d gotten over the years along with sneaking some purses into hand to give to Charlie to help buy over some of the men. She was also instrumental in sabotaging some of the boats of the men of one ship, making it easier for Charlie and his new men to take control.

Then it was just a matter of time. Crossing the ocean, the days passed as Elena and Charlie planned to free Samuel Morgan.


	4. The Chance of a Lifetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be the last chapter but then I realized it would either be way to long or way to rushed. So there will be one more chapter and that will (probably) be the last one. Again, thanks to those reading this <3

One slip up, one mistake, and Sam had lost everything. He’d tried to escape before but it had all been pointless. Years had passed and for all he knew, his brother was dead. Sam should have been there for him, but instead he’d gotten wrapped up in that bullshit job and was now stuck in the cell. And there was Rafe to. He’d never see the merman again. He’d thought about him just as often as he’d thought about Nate. They hadn’t known each other long but he’d betrayed him to when he’d gotten into this mess.

Eventually, Sam lost track of the passage of time. It felt like an eternity and though he still tried to get out, he was fairly sure that he’d die there. However, one night he woke to the sound of what seemed like a naval battle outside. Going to the bars, he tried to see what was happening but couldn’t spot anything and it seemed like all the guards had suddenly left to help the battle.

It wasn’t long until he suddenly saw crudely dressed men and women coming in. Judging by their appearance, they had to be pirates. Sam had no idea why they were there but the last thing he expected was for them to go straight for him and unlock his cell.

“Come on Drake. Captain is waiting.”

Drake? He had no idea what was going on or what the guy was talking about but hell. He was getting out of the cell after a decade. He’d take it!

They weren’t to rough like Sam would have thought. And oddly enough, for pirates, there didn’t seem to be a lot of shooting and pillaging about. From the distance, it looked like the governor’s home might be on fire but otherwise, there wasn’t much looting going on.

Then Sam was taken into a boat that headed for a ship that obviously didn’t belong there. It had already fired at some of the other ships, destroying them, and many seemed to preoccupied with the governor’s home than actually attacking the pirate ship.

Sam boarded the ship with the pirates and when he got on board, he was even more confused. The man that had to be the captain and which greeted him was an unknown. Sam just hoped that the guy wouldn’t throw him back to the prison or kill him when he figured out that he was obviously not the one being looked for.

“Samuel Drake. It’s good to see you alive,” the man said with a British accent.

“Uh, thanks and all for the prison break but I’m not—”

“Right. Sorry. Been callin your brother a Drake for years now. You’re just Morgan still, right?”

Sam frowned, incredibly confused by this. Calling his brother Drake? Was Nate alive? Did he actually mean him?

“Oh come on. Don’t tell me you really don’t recognize me,” the man said.

“Sorry. Not a clue.”

“It’s Cutter. Charlie Cutter.”

Sam blinked and looked the man over again. Out of everyone, Charlie Cutter had got him out of prison? He’d worked with the man a bit but never would have thought of him as a friend and just barely an acquaintance. Sam had so many questions. Like why now and where was Nate and what had happened in the past ten years yet one question jumped out first. “What happened to your leg?”

“Oh this? Nasty run in with this British Captain, Talbot.” Cutter let out a quick snort. “Not that you probably care about that. There’s a lot that I probably need to fill you in on.”

“Um, yeah like a hundred percent!” Sam cried. “So where is Nate? Why isn’t he here?”

“You remember Victor right?”

“Of course,” Sam said. Sullivan had been somewhat of a mentor to Nate and a help to Sam when food and other necessities were low. Sam hadn’t completely trusted him, always having thought that the older man had some ulterior motive. For a split second, he feared of what Cutter would say next, that Sam would realize his suspicions had been right. “What about Victor Sullivan?”

“Well Nate’s a captain in his fleet.”

“Seriously? Nate joined the Royal Navy?” snorted Sam.

“What? No. He’s a pirate.”

Sam supposed that made more sense but he still wasn’t sure how felt about that. He’d done everything to try and keep his little brother safe and out of trouble. Yet it seemed the exact opposite had happened. “Hold on, you said a fleet.”

“Yeah,” Cutter responded. “Victor got good and fed up with the British and how they were treating colonists so he up and left. The last ten years he’s been amassing small but strong, tightly knit fleet. Nate was his first mate before he took over his own ship.”

“And you’re a part of it?” asked Sam.

“Was. Retired.”

“Yet now you’re back,” Sam said slowly.

“Yeah, I honestly never should have bloody left. But finding out you were alive gave me a good reason to get back in,” Cutter said. “And all thanks to Elena.”

“Who?”

“You’ll meet her soon after we get everyone back on board,” Cutter said.

“Alright, then can you tell me why Nate isn’t here?”

“Like I said. He’s with Victor. And we all kind of assumed you were dead.”

“Even Nate!”

“Yeah. You just up and disappeared and everyone knew about those two guards getting killed and assumed you’d been hanged or something,” Cutter said. “Elena and I are going to go looking for Victor and Nate now that we got you but there is one other stop we gotta make.”

“What for?” asked Sam.

“No idea though Elena told me you’d understand eventually. Oh, and you should be thanking her for all this. She’s the one who figured out you were still alive.”

“Why take an interest in me?”

“She knows your brother and a friend of yours. Runs with Victor’s fleet from time to time and should help us in finding him.”

“I suppose this is where I say thank you?” Sam finally said.

“Not bloody likely. I should be thanking you for giving me a reason to get off my ass,” Cutter said. “Come on. Let’s get a proper drink in you and I’ll tell you everything that I can.”

Once the rest of the pirates had gotten on board, Cutter started off from the very beginning. He went through what he’d heard about Nate and then the adventures he’d actually been on with him. After getting a bottle of rum, they walked around the ship as they talked, Sam simply enjoying this new freedom.

He’d been on few boats and never on a ship yet already he loved the freedom that came with it, the smell of the sea, the breeze, the open sky.

Near the time Cutter’s stories started to taper off and end, Sam noted the pirates taking down the sails to slow the movement of the ship and then Cutter was gesturing for Sam to come to one of the railings.

“This is Elena. Elena, meet Nate’s brother.”

She was a mermaid. Sam was momentarily shocked by it. He knew others existed yet he’d only ever met Rafe…

He suddenly realized that he was out now and he could find Rafe! Yet how did you look for a merman? He supposed having Elena here now made the chances of him ever finding Rafe again easier. Sam wanted to immediately ask her about that but he instead managed with, “I hear I should be thanking you for my escape.”

“Well, Charlie did all the heavy lifting,” she called back up.

“Just say you were the brains darling,” Cutter laughed and Elena rolled her eyes from where she was in the water.

“I hear that you’re going to be helping us find my brother?” questioned Sam.

“Yes, I’m a good friend of his and I do have some ideas as to where he could be,” she said.

Sam nodded, already looking forward to finding Nathan again. However, he really did want to ask her if she could find Rafe. Yet he didn’t want to be presumptuous or rude. From what Sam vaguely remembered from his talks with Rafe, most merfolk didn’t move about and it probably wasn’t an easy task to find another.

However, before he could figure out what to say next, she said, “There’s an old friend of yours who wants to see you. I hope it’s alright that I’ve brought him.”

 _Him_? Could Sam really be that lucky after ten years of hell?

“Really, you should thank him for your breakout. If I hadn’t been so persistent and listened to his stories, I never would have had a reason to try and find you and never would have connected you to being Nate’s brother.”

“Where is this…friend?” Sam asked hesitantly, looking overboard and trying not to get his hopes up.

“He’s being a bit shy,” replied Elena with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

She dove under the water as Cutter nudged him with an elbow. “What do you think of her so far?”

“She seems great, not that I know much about her though,” Sam said.

“Well, get her to tell you a few stories. She’s got some great ones that you’ll probably enjoy. Plenty of Nate making a fool of himself too.”

Sam snorted, putting the suggestion to memory as he returned his focus back to the water. He just barely processed Cutter saying that he wanted to, they good move one of the lifeboats down so he could get eye level with the friend but Sam was now fully focused on the water. Did he dare to believe it was Rafe? Realistically, who else could it be? It’s not like Sam knew many merfolk. But what if it was someone else? What if he—

And then slowly out of the water came Elena again with a merman next to her. There were a few more lines in his face, over ten years had clearly passed, but it was also unmistakably Rafe who was awkwardly and uncertainly looking everywhere but up, as if he too couldn’t believe that Sam was back after all this time.

Really, Sam should have waited. He should have just eased into one of lifeboats and lowered himself to the water. But it wasn’t like he had anything heavy on besides his boots so before Cutter could say or do anything more, Sam was shoving them off and jumping overboard as quickly as possible.

Sam barely registered the laughter and a few hoots and hollers that came from back on the ship as he wrapped himself around Rafe.

“I’m so sorry.”

Sam’s eyes widened, unsure why those were Rafe’s first words. “For what?”

“I’d thought you’d left. I’d thought you’d abandoned me. That you…you…”

Sam quickly shook his head. “I should be apologizing then.” Apparently his incarceration really had remained a mystery to everyone. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get word to you. I’m sorry I just disappeared and I—”

“You make it sound like you’re sticking around this time,” Rafe interrupted, his gaze piercing yet still uncertain.

Sam could vaguely make out Elena moving farther down the ship and it seemed most had gone back to taking care of the ship. “I’m…I’m going to look for my brother. I have to.”

“So you are leaving again.”

During Sam’s time in prison, all he’d had were memories. And now all the memories of Rafe were popping to the front of his mind. Sam knew Rafe, had gotten to know him extraordinarily well before his freedom was taken, and he knew how easily this could break if the wrong thing was said.

“It’s been ten years,” Sam said slowly.

“What does that mean?”

“Well…I’ve changed.”

“Of course you fucking have,” muttered Rafe. “You’ve been in prison. I’ve changed to if you’re curious. I’m pretty damn sure your brother’s changed as well.”

“Exactly. So I don’t exactly know—”

“I can’t lose you again,” Rafe whispered. “Everything has changed yet nothing has. I took over for my father, I have the mansion and the money and the power. But you were the only one that saw me, the only thing that mattered. You were my only friend.”

Sam blurted the first words that came to his mind. “Then come with me.”

Rafe balked. “What kind of demand is—”

“You say nothing else matters, prove it.” Suddenly Sam was grinning. He couldn’t help it. Rafe had always been that little secret, a small part of his life that never intersected with anything else. And because of that, when he’d been arrested, Rafe hadn’t had any way to know. He didn’t want something like that to happen again. “You have been on my mind since the day I was arrested. You’re one of the regrets that I want to make right. So come with me.”

“Just up and disappear? But what about—”

“You’ve changed, we all have. But if you’re still you, then I know that all of that crap that was your fathers still doesn’t matter to you because it never was and never will be yours,” Sam said. “So…come with me.”

Sam could see the gears turning in Rafe’s head. There was a greater mask put over Rafe’s face, more intricate and clearly intended for protection, to block all others out. Yet it was still Rafe, it was still the merman Sam had met on the rocks. And perhaps Rafe felt that to because slowly, piece by piece, he put his defenses down and Sam was in again, he was there, and it was like no time had passed at all.

Every moment on those rocks, every laugh every cry every touch of comfort every word passed back and forth, Sam remembered it all and he saw that Rafe did as well.

It only seemed logical that the next step was to grab the merman and kiss him yet Rafe beat him to it. Sam grasped at the ropes on the ship for leverage, steadying himself as he pulled Rafe closer. When they pulled apart, Sam murmured, “I’ll take that as a yes?”

“I’m not taking you out of my sight again,” Rafe promised.

Sam grinned. Already he’d been smiling so much. He hadn’t smiled in years. But the pain was a welcomed feeling as Elena finally swam back over.

“I of course didn’t eavesdrop but, if you are coming with us, I can give you some tips on long sea travel,” Elena said to Rafe. “I’ve been all over the world.”

“That would be…helpful,” he slowly said with a polite nod towards her.

Elena smiled as Sam asked, “So, you apparently know my brother best. Where do you think we’ll find him?”

“Well, rumors have floated all around but I do know there’s a home that him and Sully have been building.”

“Sully?” questioned Sam.

“What? Traveled with him a lot,” grinned Elena. “Anyways, his fleet has this place that they’ve been building. A home of sorts, separate from any government in the world.”

“What’s it called?” asked Sam.

“Libertalia.”

And it was with that word that Sam’s life seemed to begin again. From there, Sam refrained from jumping into the freezing water. It wasn’t exactly a good idea though even he didn’t always follow his own advice. But he did speak a great deal with Elena, taking Cutter’s advice to hear her stories and adventures with his brother and Victor. She told him more about Libertalia, a safe haven for Victor and his trusted pirates. She’d been there a few times and the way she talked about it suggested there was a lot more going on in the place than a simple colony built by a few pirates. However, she never expounded upon it, keeping any deeper knowledge speculative at best.

Sam had grown up with group mindset that pirates were bad, yet the more he heard Elena’s and Cutter’s tales, the more Sam was happy with the company he now kept. The government and the law had never helped him, had only made his life more difficult and ultimately come close to destroying it. But his brother had set up something special it seemed, him and Victor. Something that was run by their rules and beliefs, where they governed themselves and took what they wanted when they wanted it, all the while going by their own code.

Besides Elena and Cutter though, Sam spent as much time as he could with Rafe. The merman told him how he’d met Elena and how that had led to Sam’s escape, but otherwise, it was clear that anything else in the past would remain there, in the past. Sam felt the same, like his life was on pause and it was more important to make new memories than stick on dark, cold, sullen ones that only fueled nightmares and anger in his heart.

So Sam didn’t tell Rafe about the inmates, about those that came and went, those that stayed, the ones easy to deal with and the utter bastards. And Rafe didn’t tell him about his life though Sam suspected it wasn’t a happy tale either. Rafe hadn’t had his freedom after all, his cell had just been of a different construction than Sam’s.

But now those bars were gone and they remained firmly ground in the present with eyes set on distant horizons and the future to come.

When they had first met, they had poked and prodded each other constantly, fascinated with the other’s form. Now they often did the same, only relearning what the other was like and taking to memory anything knew and different.

Rafe was utterly fascinated with the tattoos, the flock of birds on his neck. Whenever they were close enough, his fingers were constantly tracing the outlines, feeling the raised skin and usually causing shivers to go up Sam’s spine.

It made life suddenly seem perfect. Of course, if Sam could change anything, it would likely be privacy. Wasn’t exactly much one could hide or keep quiet about when in the middle of an ocean aboard a ship. Still, no one actually broached the subject until Cutter said, “Never pegged you as a fairy.”

“You’ve stolen people’s shit and beheaded members of the Royal Navy,” Sam said a bit defensively. He couldn’t help it. With this new freedom, he’d momentarily forgotten a great deal of the social norms and just thrown those out the window. Yet he remembered supposed ‘fairies’ being flogged and jailed.

Before Sam could really worry though, Cutter just snorted. “Hey, I ain’t judging. I judge you and I’m gonna have to judge myself. Besides, no one on board gives a shit about stuff like that. If anything, the fact that it’s a merman is the weirder bit. You’re just like your brother.”

Sam raised an eyebrow at that, a bit surprised by that news. “Then Nate also—”

“Involved with merfolk? Yeah, you know Elena and him have a thing right?”

Oh, so that’s what Cutter had meant. “I did sort of pick that up…”

“Sort of, hell it’s damn obvious to everyone though they just dance around it,” Cutter said with a roll of his eyes. “I would have hoped by now they would have done something about it but clearly I was wrong.”

“Exactly how long have they known each other?” asked Sam with curiosity. Elena had told him plenty of her stories with Nathan yet it wasn’t like she’d given him a detailed calendar.

“Hmm, first time was probably about two years after you disappeared and we all thought you were dead,” Cutter said. “She’s been on and off with Sully’s fleet for years.”

Sam gave a slight nod. “What about this Chloe? She’s popped up in both Elena’s and your stories.”

“Oh…well you’ll probably meet her once we catch up with Nate. She also comes and goes as she pleases,” Cutter said. That should have been it yet the change in tone had Sam cocking his head to the side and curiously looking at the man.

“She another mermaid?” asked Sam casually.

“Yeah. Grew up in a kingdom near Spain,” Cutter said. It was like he was trying to appear indifferent yet couldn’t.

Giving him a cocky grin, Sam said, “So Cutter, you got a thing for merfolk to huh?”

Cutter snorted and crossed his arms. “If you’re hoping for something, you’re going to be sorely mistaken.”

Sam just continued to smile. “Hey, we’re going to be together for months on this ship. I’ll get it out of you eventually.”

Cutter just rolled his eyes in response.


	5. Taking a Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally lied, this isn't the last chapter. But I promise that the next one will be and I'll wrap everything up in it. Thanks again to those who have bothered to read this. Please enjoy :)

After Sam had died, Nate had run from that blasted island as fast as possible. Right at that time, Sully had gotten in trouble with the British Empire and it really gave Nate the perfect out. He’d hopped aboard Sully’s ship, only to ready to leave the law behind that had only taken everything important from him. It had dragged his father across the seas to never be seen again. It had made it impossible to get the right treatment for their mother. It had killed his brother and now was after Sully.

Following in his footsteps only seemed like the right thing to do.

Changing his name from Morgan to Drake, Nate became first mate to Captain Sullivan of the _Silver Skull_. It was a small ship and a small crew at first. After all, when Sully committed mutiny not everyone was completely on board for it. But the smaller crew was tighter knit, more trust worthy and really more of a family than what would have been if all had stayed on.

From the beginning, Nate could tell what kind of pirates they were. They stole what they needed because they were good at it and the Brits and Spanish and every other big shot in the sea had been the bullies for to long. But they also gave. Once they stole what was almost worthy of being called a King’s ransom only to spread it out and across to those poorer and smaller colonies they came across. It was more fun, more adventure, and he was able to help others more than what would have been possible within the law.

It was after two years of that, of sailing and pillaging and making a name for themselves that Nate met Elena.

She’d been the first merfolk he’d ever met though Nate had always believed the stories his mother had told him as a kid. She’d stuck around for a while at that point, traveled with them from India to the lower part of the New World.

And then Elena had left and Nate hadn’t exactly been sure how to feel.

He’d talked to her on almost a daily basis, dragged her to safety a few times and she’d done the same for him. She was funny and smart and intelligent and maybe something had been there or maybe not but then she’d swam off, wanting to go in a different direction than him and Sully. He’d lost the opportunity, had hated himself for that, but it was what it was and it wasn’t like he could just get in contact with her whenever he wanted to.

Of course, running into the infamous backstabbing Flynn a few times got Nate’s mind off of things and then when he got word he’d captured a mermaid, it hadn’t taken much convincing to get Sully to change course and go after the guy again.

That was where he’d met Chloe, someone so different and yet so similar to Elena. They both had that fire that simply drew people in. But with Elena, she seemed to know when to rein her fire in whereas with Chloe, it seemed their similarities clashed to much and to often. He liked her, considered her a friend, and after all the shit they’d been through did love her.

But it was different from Elena and for whatever reason that had made it harder to say, because something might come out of his words. Every time Elena had slipped away, the words just hadn’t come, usually leaving Nate to sulk for a while. However, the last time he’d truly felt something, felt like he had a chance.

Thanks to Libertalia, the bridges between merfolk and humans could be met and their small community truly was paradise away from the governments of the world. And with their colony fully underway and the magic of the place discovered, it had been the perfect time to say something yet Nate had clammed up. Hence why it had been considerably longer since his interaction with Elena yet he was still not completely over it.

Now he was swimming with Chloe in the hidden bay that was in front of the colony. After living for years on land, walking on two feet, Nate wasn’t sure he’d ever become used to the idea of swimming with a tale yet there he was, going through the water so quickly that it seemed like he’d been born one.

For the moment, it was simply Chloe teaching him several tricks and having him practice the movement underwater. Though Nate had done it multiple times by this point, he still needed practice.

They’d spent a great deal of time trying to understand why Libertalia was how it was but all they really came up with were the rules. If someone left the bay or went over the mountain pass that protected the other side of Libertalia, they would remain the form that they were. But while in Libertalia, being beneath the waves made one a merfolk and moving fully into the air created legs.

Now, with that days lesson done, Nate moved back to the usual rocky area where the fellow pirates and merfolk switched in between forms. The merfolk, which had been there before the pirates got there, consisted of a small group of twenty-five, twenty-seven when both Elena and Chloe were there. On land, their pirate colony run by Sully had forty-two when all were there.

It was small but that was how they liked it, the numbers making it easier to remain close to everyone, trustworthy so to speak.

Nathan certainly had never thought of himself as a pirate yet after becoming accustomed to that life, he’d never thought he’d find himself settling down. Regular runs were still made, ransacking other ships or islands as their supplies weren’t completely self-sustaining yet but they were getting there.

For the moment though, Nate swam back to the rocks and pulled himself up. No matter how many times he did it, he never thought he’d get used to the feeling of his skin growing back over his sides, the gills disappearing. Nor could he not help but shiver when his orange tail glowed and shifted to form two legs instead that were always a comfort to see again.

Next to him, Chloe moved out of the water with practiced ease, her red tail changing to legs as well. She’d done it enough times that it no longer shocked her but there was still that momentary look on her face of utter wonder, similar to how Nate looked every time he had a tail. Once the look passed though, she quickly got up and wondered to the area where clothes were kept for pirates and merfolk alike after leaving the watery bay behind.

They’d done it enough times but Nate still politely looked away as he waited for Chloe to get dressed before he did as well.

Chloe, and many of the merfolk, never wore shoes when walking on land despite the repeated warnings made by humans. It didn’t seem to be that big of a problem as any small injury disappeared the moment they went back into the water and was gone when they came out. Still, it amused Nate as her bare feet moved over the rocks before hitting the makeshift road that was still being paved. His own boots clacked against the more ordered stone.

“You’re getting better pirate,” Chloe grinned. “But you need to get your head out of the clouds and in the moment. You keep focusing on other things and you’ll never be able to beat me.”

Nate let out a small snort. “I’ll really worry when you begin beating me at running.”

“Hey! Last time I would have won but I tripped,” muttered Chloe though the teasing nature remained in her eyes. “Besides, running with shoes is difficult.”

“Well if you really want to get a splinter or step on a sharp rock that bad, it’s your choice,” laughed Nate as they made their way into what could just barely be called a colony.

The bay held three large ships near its opening and then about twelve boats remained at docks. Underneath the water were structures for the merfolk but on land there was one large structure where currently everyone lived before individual abodes could be made. Those smaller structures were around the larger one in varying stages of progress. Once everyone was out of the major one, it would turn to something like a city hall, perhaps hold a library with stolen scrolls and maps, become the treasury, and other things. But for the moment it was one giant home where the pirates and sometimes merfolk congregated every night. Other times the majority of the colony would meet underwater, simply depending on the overall mood of the people.

It was still a good hour before the sun would be coming down though, giving Nate and Chloe time to do their usual hike through the jungles. Sometimes they would go over the mountain ridge and even practice swimming on the other side of the ocean, Chloe definitely needing practice swimming with legs rather than a tail.

For the moment, they simply walked though, both keeping eyes peeled for any animal that looked particularly worthy to be put on a plate for a good meal. As they moved from the colony to the brush and trees, Chloe said, “The only way you’re going to be able to fully concentrate is if you square off things with her.”

“There is nothing to talk about. I told you time and time again Chloe. Its fine,” Nate replied, knowing full well who _her_ was.

“Then why do you mope every time after she leaves? I swear, even Victor is about fed up with you and that man would take a bullet for you,” Chloe said. “In fact, he has and yet I think he may ring your neck if you don’t do anything.”

“Why? It’s not like—”

“Nate, next time she’s around, do yourself a favor,” Chloe replied. “Tell her, pirate.”

He shook his head in response. “And what? Get laughed at?”

“I know that we don’t work,” Chloe said with a kind smile. “So do you. We’ve tried and there have been some great moments but we know it’s just not right. That doesn’t mean it’ll be the same with her though.”

“And what if I muck it up? Hmm? What then?”

“The fact that you’re afraid to muck it up shows that you’ve gotta try,” replied Chloe. “This matters to you. She matters to you.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. So do you,” Nate replied.

She smirked. “I better. I’ve pulled your ass out of the water five times and counting.”

“Four.”

“It’s been five,” said Chloe. “And Elena’s done it about six. Honestly, it’s a good thing you have us both or else I don’t think you’d make it from day to day.”

Nate rolled his eyes as Chloe laughed.

“But seriously. Tell her. You fretting and worrying about it constantly just shows how much you really do care about her and the idea of you,” Chloe responded. “You don’t want a fling, something fast and fun. You want something that’ll last.”

“Chloe I—”

“That’s not me mate. Not by a long shot,” she quickly said. She gave another reassuring smile and gave Nate a quick kiss on the cheek. “I simply count myself as one of the lucky ones to have found a friend in you at all. And Victor for that matter too.”

Nate smiled. “Same goes to you.”

From there, they continued on their usual path before heading back to the colony. When they grew near though, a man came rushing forward. “Captain wants you at the rocks now.”

There were three ships making three captains, Nate being one of them, but only one man could simply be called ‘Captain’ and that was Sully. Curious and slightly worried seeing as the messenger had clearly rushed and was out of breath, Nate grabbed Chloe’s hand and both ran through the colony until they got to the rocks where Sully was waiting.

Nate skidded to a stop at what he saw as Chloe laughed at the irony. She nudged him in the side and whispered, “Now’s your chance.”

Swallowing, Nate stopped his rushed motions as he slowly walked down the rocks to where Elena was adjusting her shirt. She’d already come out of the water, choosing to shit instead of stand. She hadn’t gone through the change as often as Chloe and didn’t jump into land movement as naturally as she did.

Nate helped her up and she took it gratefully as she smiled at him. Smiling back at her, Nate thought of all the times she’d saved his ass, gone with him on some adventure. She’d helped him steal a ship once, defeat another captain, find lost gold, all of it with that brilliant smile she was still holding. He really did care about her and really didn’t want to mess anything up yet if he didn’t chance it, he’d regret his decision for the rest of his life.

That and from the look Sully was giving him, the man just might strangle him.

With a deep breath, Nate decided to chance it. If he didn’t do it spur of the moment, if he thought about it anymore, he’d lose his nerve anyways.

“I love you./Your brother’s alive.”

The silence that followed was almost deafening as Nate’s heart stopped. At first, his mind was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he’d said it. He’d finally said it. But finally his brain started to realize what Elena had said and suddenly his heart wasn’t starting for a whole new reason.

However, as he tried to think up a response, he could see Victor and Chloe’s frozen forms out of the corner of his eyes. He tried to remember if he’d even told Chloe about his brother.

But just then Elena’s frozen face broke out into that kind smile as she said, “It’s about time, pirate.”

She kissed him, soft and sweet, but Nate couldn’t quite respond, his mind still stuck on her words. The fact that she was kissing him as well was kind of overloading his head.

“You alright Nate?”

“Sam-Sam’s alive? He-you said he’s alive?” stuttered Nate as he rapidly blinked.

“Alive and well and here,” Elena smiled.

“H-h-here?”

“Right outside the bay,” grinned Elena. “I helped Charlie steal a ship and—”

“Charlie Cutter’s here?” Chloe suddenly interrupted, surprise blossoming over her faces.

Elena nodded. “He helped me get Sam out. They’re waiting outside the bay with a small, trusted crew. I didn’t want to spook anyone here. That and I haven’t told them…everything about Libertalia. I figured it would be best if they saw it for themselves.”

Again, Nate was really only getting the key points. His brother was alive. His brother was here. Over a decade and he’d get to see Sam again.

He tried to go diving off the rocks but both Sully and Elena grabbed him before he could.

“What? This is faster!” cried Nate. “My brother is out there and—”

“You go out there as a merman and you’re going to give poor Samuel a god damn heart attack,” Victor said.

Elena laughed as well as she quickly put in, “I think introducing him to Libertalia will be just a little less shocking if it’s me with legs rather than seeing his brother with a tail.”

“Right,” Nate said slowly. “Yeah that would…that would be a better-wait you kissed me.”

Chloe snorted. “Getting slow with age Nathan?”

“Hey—”

“We can talk about it in a bit,” Elena promised, directing Nate’s attention back to her. “If that’s even needed of course. If we’re on the same mindset, this has just been waiting to happen.”

After a moment, Nate smiled at that, not only comforted by Elena’s words but also the fact that she kissed him again immediately after that. Chloe had been right, this felt true.

“You found my brother?” Nate finally said, when they pulled apart again.

“You also have a merman and Charlie to thank but yes, I did,” Elena smiled.

Nate couldn’t help but grin back. “Thank you.”

They then proceeded to rush to the boats. Chloe elected to stay behind for the moment so it was only Nate, Elena, and Sully. Nate was practically ecstatic and was still tempted to jump into the water and shoot out towards his brother. However, Victor was right and he didn’t want to give Sam a heart attack just as they saw each other.

The ship was right outside the bay and as their boat slowly approached, the water moved around them as Nate watched a head come up, eyes wide with shock.

“Elena how—”

“Libertalia,” she said with a small smile. “I told you, it’s a miraculous place.”

“Is it permanent?” asked the merman with an uncertain look.

“Not at all. And it works both ways,” Elena assured him. She then turned to Nate and Sully. “Guys, this is Rafe. It’s because of him that Sam’s out at all.”

Rafe started to say, “I didn’t—”

“Nonsense. If I hadn’t bumped into you, I’d have never gone looking for Sam,” grinned Elena. “Speaking of which, there he is now.”

Nate’s eyes turned back to the ship as he watched a form swing overboard and rapidly climb down the ropes. Sully pushed the boat closer and when the figure finally turned around, Nate quickly took in all the differences, the wrinkles, the few strands of gray, the tattoos, but it was unmistakably his brother and no one else.

That was proven when Sam leapt aboard the boat, nearly toppling it over and tackling Nate to the ground.

Nate grabbed hold of him and held him tight, only realizing that he had cried after the tears had already fallen. Then again, his brother had just come back from the dead. If there was ever a time for it, it was now.

“I can’t believe you’re alive!”

“I can’t believe you are!”

“You’re a pirate! A fucking captain!”

“You’re here! You’re in Libertalia! You’re safe and—” Nate was interrupted when Sam finally noticed Elena.

“You’re-you’re-but I thought-that is—” Sam simply stopped, the words not coming.

“I’m still a mermaid. I’ve just got legs for the moment,” grinned Elena. “Don’t worry, we’ll explain it soon enough.” Elena made sure to look up towards Charlie when saying that too as he was still on deck. “Don’t look so shocked Charlie. It’ll make sense soon enough!”

“If you bloody well say so,” he called back, not sounding to convinced which caused a few to laugh.

Sully clapped Sam on the back, his grin wide and evident. “It’s a goddamn miracle you’re here.”

“Don’t I know it,” Sam grinned. “It’s good to see you Victor.”

“Damn, it really has been years. I don’t think you ever would have told me that in the past.”

“Probably not,” agreed Sam. Nate watched as his brother then turned, focusing back on the merman. Rafe had started to move slightly away, looking like he felt alienated from the conversation. Sam put a comforting hand on Rafe’s shoulder however and said, “I heard Elena introducing you guys but I just wanted to say this is Rafe. Rafe, this is my brother Nathan and the old man is Victor Sullivan.”

Sully snorted. “Glad to see you’re as kind as ever.”

Sam just grinned but Nate focused on Rafe. “Elena told me it’s thanks to you that my brother is free.”

“Perhaps in a certain light,” Rafe slowly responded. He still seemed cautious but the contact Sam was keeping with him seemed to calm the merman. “Elena simply got lucky. I knew Samuel before.”

Dawning appeared on Nate’s face. “He’s the reason you were always disappearing during your free time! Why didn’t you tell me Sam?”

His brother shrugged with a slightly sheepish smile. “I don’t know. It was a secret at the time. If I had told you, perhaps you could have explained what happened to Rafe but then, I think everything turned out alright in the end. Don’t you think?”

Nate grinned back. “Definitely, I like the hand we’ve been dealt. Now how about we head back to shore and I catch you up on everything and you explain exactly how you’re still alive.”

“Gladly,” laughed Sam. “And you explain how the hell Elena has legs right now.”

“Of course,” Nate replied.

Sully then looked up and waved Charlie down. “Come on. We’ll try and explain it all to you too. But I want to talk with all your men before they come into Libertalia.”

“No problem Sullivan. This is your colony after all,” Charlie replied.

“In that case,” Nate replied, “you stick with them and I’ll row Elena, Sam, and I back.”

“And I’ll help explain exactly what’s going on too,” Elena added, directing her words towards Rafe.

“Sounds good to me,” Sully replied. Looking at both Sam and Rafe before returning his eyes to Charlie, he said, “Welcome to Libertalia.”


	6. A Near Miss of a Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is more of an epilogue of sorts and will be posted within the hour. Enjoy :)

Charlie Cutter had known Nathan Drake when he was younger and a Morgan, when Samuel Morgan was still considered alive. He’d later met Nate again and Victor Sullivan after helping them overthrow the captain Charlie had previously been working under. After taking their side and becoming a member of their ship, Charlie had finally met Chloe. He’d met merfolk before having lived in an area that was fairly familiar with them and didn’t go into shock every time they saw them. Therefore, Charlie knew it wasn’t the tail that got him.

It wasn’t her red scales or the speeds which she could pick up under water, the gills under her ribs, or anything like that. He had never been fascinated with what she was. He had been fascinated with who she was.

Because Chloe was a fighter, was snarky and sarcastic and didn’t take shit from human and merfolk alike. Charlie admired her, for the pain she’d been through and how she’d come out better on the other end rather than letting the darkness twist her like so many others would have. The way she fought, both physically and verbally, were a treat to watch and she always found a way to win, even if it seemed like from the start she was on the short end.

Admittedly, she hadn’t liked him at first, not at all. It had been his accent first. He had been British born and lived in that land for a long time, causing him to have such an accent. A similar accent to the one and only Harry Flynn, long since deceased.

It was because of that Charlie had been careful, never using pet names like ‘love’ or ‘darling’ as he’d heard that Chloe didn’t just hate but loath such things. He’d honestly avoided her mostly when he’d first seen her reaction to his voice. She’d interested him because of her strength and her personality but he’d been careful, not wanting to push her away or make her feel uncomfortable as she was in a fairly new environment.

Because of that, it was Chloe that came to him first.

She had laughed when she’d heard his reasoning for avoiding her. Chloe had thought him ridiculous for going to such lengths, at least that was her first response. Eventually, after they’d both become more comfortable around each other and Chloe had found a place within the crew, she had admitted to being thankful that Charlie had given Chloe time.

After all, she’d been tortured by the bastard, been trapped on a ship, out of her element, for months. But because of that moment of waiting, Charlie felt that he and Chloe were able to actually talk and connect.

Chloe didn’t always stick with Victor’s ship but over the months and years, she always came back, always somehow reappeared. When she was back, she and Charlie always worked well together, always managed to get each other out of a great deal of trouble as they fought other pirates or navies or colonies and governments. But then there was the day she saved his life and he’d nearly lost her for it.

Being a pirate, and what with all the trouble Nate succeeded in getting them in, everyone was always trying to save each other’s ass and everyone had their fair share of bullet wounds, knife wounds, and jail stories. Once, when they got into a conflict with another ship, it seemed like the same things would happen. Some would get shot, get a sword sliced across their forearm, and maybe a few would be unlucky and get captured or even killed. But actually getting killed just wasn’t something one seemed to think about. It was just a normal aspect of pirate life.

Yet when Charlie boarded that particular ship, he didn’t expect to get that sword in the gut. He didn’t expect to have his clothes to catch on fire where the gun powder had previously exploded. Neither had he expected to get his leg hacked off in a move of brutality that some pirates never would have even done.

Charlie had gone into shock and passed out, expecting the image of his attacker to be the last thing he ever saw. Yet he woke up aboard Nate’s ship, by that time Sullivan had a fleet and Nate had his own ship. He had been in a cabin with their resident surgeon near him. Yet the guy hadn’t been working on him but the form next to him, Chloe.

Eventually, he’d learned that after losing his leg he’d gone down with the rest of the ship. Chloe had succeeded in getting him lose and managed to take off all heavy objects so he’d float to the surface. However, she’d become caught in the wreckage, dragged deeper and deeper into the ocean. Eventually she’d gotten free but at the cost of ripping  apart her tail to the point where she hadn’t even been able to swim back to the surface, her body not made to float like a humans.

She would have died from blood loss, should have except Nate had gone through the water, pulling and dredging up what they could when Chloe didn’t reappear right away.

Ultimately, their resident Bonesaw had managed to save the tale and she’d been able to swim again. However, the damage had been clear and Charlie hadn’t been able to ignore the fact that it was because of him. She’d never pulled a stunt so dangerous, so serious like that before with anyone else. The torn metal had nearly gone through her form, ripping through flesh and scales and bone.

He’d lost a leg but if she’d lost the use of her tail, then what would she have done? Charlie had been able to get fixed, got the stump that could keep him upright when needed. But he had no idea how to fix a mermaid with no tail and he’d doubted Chloe had either.

Simply put, it had made Charlie think on the idea of Chloe actually dying for him, an act that could have happened and he would have dealt with it like everyone else. Yet she’d almost died, come so close, and even if that hadn’t happened her existence would have been nearly pointless, immobile for life because she’d tried to save his life. After being through so much, the event shouldn’t have affected Charlie like it had.

The fact that the first time he slept after waking up brought forth a nightmare that had him jolting awake, covered in sweat, showed him it wasn’t nothing.

And the fact that he’d had nearly lost Chloe and it had broken him up that much simply at the idea was terrifying in its own right. After it all and once Chloe finally awoke from her own surgery, Charlie had to ask. He had to ask her, “Would you have really died for me?”

Not, would you have risked yourself for me because he knew the answer to that. She risked her life all the time for Nate and other members of the crew. But even if she knew she’d die, would she sacrifice it all for him?

“Yes.”

She’d said yes with her brow knit in a mixture of pain and stubbornness that was so very Chloe. Charlie had been unable to say more after that and in the end, he’d made excuse after excuse and ‘retired’.

The idea of Chloe actually throwing it all away for him had just been something Charlie hadn’t been able to except at the time. So he’d thrown away his life of piracy and hoped that somehow that would mean Chloe would never do something as stupid as throw away her life another. Of course, that hadn’t been his choice to make and perhaps anyone else would have talked it through yet Charlie had been unable to believe that someone could care about him that deeply.

And he couldn’t believe that he cared about her so deeply that he didn’t want her to ever make that choice.

Yet Elena had shown up with talk of Nate’s elder brother being alive and after more than a good year of trying at law abiding life, it had been the perfect out for Charlie. In that time, he hadn’t seen Chloe once and had thought he’d never see her again. At first, he’d figured it had been necessary if it meant her never giving her life to him yet being away had hurt more than he had possibly imagined, more than any gunshot or even getting his leg cut off.

So Charlie helped get Nate’s older brother out of jail and headed towards some colony that he’d heard Sullivan talk about. The colony hadn’t actually been created when Charlie had been around and he’d honestly never thought it would work, yet Elena had taken them across the sea on a months’ long journey to a small island off of another island near Africa.

Elena had disappeared for a moment after arriving at the island only to come back sitting in a boat with legs. Charlie had reluctantly gone with Nate and Sam and Elena and Rafe and listened to their insane story about the magic of Libertalia and how they’d found it and everything. Charlie still hadn’t been able to fully believe it, even with Elena as proof right in front of him.

Because of it, he’d decided to go for a walk, trying to wrap his head around it. He eventually found himself near the rocks that Nate had said was a common spot for merfolk and humans to transform. Looking over the calm bay, part of Charlie wondered if it was really true, wondered what it would be like if he went in then and there, only to jump out of his skin and draw his pistol when the water parted.

“Jumpy as ever huh?”

Charlie slowly lowered his pistol before finally pocketing it again. “I’m still not sure I’m sleeping. Been sleeping for the past few months.”

Chloe laughed. It was good to hear that noise coming from her, good to simply hear her voice. She said, “Hmm, I doubt that but you never know.”

“I uh…wasn’t sure if you’d be here,” Charlie admitted as he stared down into the water at her.

“What? Would you not have come if you’d known?”

“No.”

“Then why mention it?” she asked curiously.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for this conversation,” he replied.

“What conversation?” asked Chloe. “You mean the one about how you just left? Without a last word? How after I almost died for you, you just abandoned everything without a reason?”

Charlie couldn’t help but wince. “I should have guessed you’d be bitter.”

“I’m not bitter Charlie,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I was. But I’ve also accepted that you had to be you.”

“Still a pretty selfish move.”

“Well yeah,” Chloe agreed with a smirk, “but I honestly probably would have done the same thing in your shoes.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If you had told me you’d die for me I’d probably laugh it off and then disappear for nearly two years as well.”

Charlie couldn’t help but snort, the tension in his shoulders finally easing. “That’s a yes by the way.”

“About it?”

“If I’d die for you.”

“I kind of already knew that.”

“Well you always have been smarter than me,” Charlie replied.

“And you’ve always sold yourself short,” snorted Chloe. “So…I heard you found Nate’s older brother?”

“I helped get him out but it thanks to Elena and Rafe that he’s out.”

“Rafe?”

“A merman,” Charlie said.

Chloe gave a slight nod. “So is that why you came?”

“It was my excuse to come,” he admitted, “but no. It’s not the reason I came. Why didn’t you come to the ship with Nate and Sully?”

“It was difficult to say if you’d want to see me. And I didn’t want to give you a heart attack,” she said with a slight smirk.

“Well thanks for that,” he replied with a shake of his head. “Can…you actually walk on land?”

“Still not convinced?”

“Just kind of hard to believe and all,” Charlie admitted.

“Well, watch carefully and maybe you’ll believe what Nate’s told you about Libertalia,” responded Chloe.

Slowly, she pulled herself out of the water, dragging her tale onto the rocks. Charlie glanced at the clear scar over her tale before his eyes returned to hers. He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows as he watched the transformation, the light that moved over the tale until it separated, changing to legs and feet. As she slowly stood up, Charlie didn’t have that moment of modesty that he was sure others probably had. Chloe, and other merfolk for that matter, didn’t hold the same ideas and values that humans had and that wouldn’t suddenly change simply because of the physical transformation. She didn’t express any modesty either as she stood before him with a raised eyebrow.

Charlie supposed there were probably a few things that Chloe was expecting to hear. However, he immediately asked, “Your legs look fine.”

“Injuries below the waist don’t carry over to the other form. And whatever the opposite form is, in my case the legs, the wounds made during that time disappear when I transform back and then later come out of the water again.”

He gave a slight nod as he bit his bottom lip. “You know I’m sorry.”

“And you know that everything I did of my own volition.”

“I know.”

Chloe smiled again, this time kinder and softer than she normally gave. “I love you. You know that right?”

“Why do you think I ran?”

She snorted, brushing her braid off her shoulder. “Well we all knew you were constipated when it came to emotions.”

Charlie just rolled his eyes. “And you aren’t?”

“Fair point. I guess I simply said it in the only way I knew how.”

“Hmm, I can’t blame you for that. I guess I could say the same thing,” he said.

“You just didn’t want me to be put in that situation again,” Chloe replied.

“No. But what I really didn’t want was for me to have to go through that pain.”

She gave a slight snort and made a teasing face. “Ah, you get a little heart ache?”

“I can assure you that getting shot is a lot more painful,” Charlie replied.

Chloe laughed in response. “I would probably tease you some more if I didn’t understand exactly how you felt.”

He rolled his eyes and said, “What is wrong with us?”

“Multiple things, I’m sure.”

She laughed again and replied, “Certainly. So, how are you holding up?”

“Well, I’d say I’m only half way convinced that I’m dreaming,” chuckled Charlie.

“Believe me, everyone else was exactly like how you are now.” A grin appeared on her face. “Want to jump in and see what it feels like?”

Charlie looked down at his peg leg.

“I’d suggest taking that off just in case,” Chloe quickly added. “Clothes don’t just magically disappear and reappear. Believe me, we’ve proven that a number of times.”

“Oh, because that would just be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?”

“Obviously,” laughed Chloe. “So what do you say?”

“I think…that could wait for another day,” Charlie replied. “I’m still trying to get used to you standing in front of me.”

“I can understand that,” chuckled Chloe. “So, have we come to a certain agreement?”

“Agreement?”

“That you don’t plan to just abandon everything again. Particularly for selfish reasons.”

“I think you just defined a pirate.”

She snorted. “Maybe so but I’m being serious. You’re back. Surely you feel that this was the right choice.”

“Well that dingy little place I was hold up in was getting boring.”

Chloe punched him in the shoulder. “Very funny. But I don’t want you to just up and disappear again.”

“Good thing I don’t want to do that either.”

“I care about you Charlie Cutter. I know you know that. But you have to understand that it’s I who chooses what my life is worth,” Chloe said.

“But if your life is worth mine, then my life is worth yours.”

“So we die together. Some would wish for that.”

“That’s rather morbid.”

“Probably, but it’s a nice way to think to. Going out together.”

“In a blaze of glory.”

“Is there any other way to go?”

“In my line of work? Never.”

Chloe grinned, mischievous and bright. “I don’t want you to leave again.”

“Neither do I.”

They both fell into silence for a few seconds before Chloe added, “I think this is where most would kiss.”

“Probably. Should have thought of that first,” snorted Charlie as Chloe moved in first, lips surprisingly rough with a clear force and power that Charlie was able to meet.

When they pulled apart, Chloe said, “I think that’s been long overdue.”

“I completely agree. So…” Charlie looked her up and down before saying, “Do the merfolk usually put on clothes when on land or—”

She laughed, good and hard. “I think you’re the only one who hasn’t been put into shock by that.”

“I’ve seen a naked body before,” snorted Charlie. “What I have seen is a mermaid grow legs. One of them is just the slightest bit more shocking.”

She laughed in turn and said, “Well, then I’d walk with you like this but I think this little colony has had enough excitement for one day.”

Charlie just shook his head, his eyes crinkling with laughter as Chloe walked over and began to pull on a bare of pants and threw a shirt over her shoulders. They then walked towards the main structure in Libertalia, Charlie only to ready to see what else was in store for him.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done! Thank you to anyone who decided to read this completely self-indulgent work. Thank you and I hope you enjoy <3

Elena enjoyed watching Nate swim, watching his orange tail zip alongside her yellow one. She liked walking beside him on land, feeling the individual movement of each toe as her two legs moved separately yet equally together.

The last few times she’d been to Libertalia, she’d felt more like an outsider than anything else. It wasn’t because of Nate but simply because she knew that she wouldn’t stay long, that she’d quickly be out in the ocean, exploring the world again. And she could tell that her journey’s weren’t over. Besides the fact that supplies still needed to be gathered for the colony, keeping the pirates to that section forever would have been impossible. The sea was in their blood. They would have gone mad staying cooped up on one island.

Yet, for the first time in a long time, she did feel like she was home. For the first time ever, she was with Nathan but Victor, Charlie, Chloe, and now even Rafe and Sam were there as well. Elena had made many good acquaintances over the years and friends, yet those people were like family and felt like family. Now she had them for herself, a beautiful bay, and a magic that broke down the boundaries between the two groups.

She’d always trusted Nate, probably trusted him more than anyone else in the world. But being able to move together without any boundaries obstructing a view brought forth an intimacy that they hadn’t known.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this lucky,” Elena admitted one day on the ocean floor. Above them was the surface, moving and rolling back and forth, sunlight streaming down and hitting the white sand that she lay on with Nate by her side. Small creatures floated about, some going their own path while the current took others.

“I know what you mean,” replied Nate after a moment of silence.

“You did get a brother back.”

“Yeah, I did,” Nate said with a small half smile. “But I got more than that.”

“Oh?”

“A little faith.”

“On what?” asked Elena.

“That life is full of taking chances and that letting them slip by is more of a mistake than taking them,” Nate admitted. “It was a chance that led you to my brother. And it’s a chance that you took that led you to kissing me.”

“Hmm, I liked that chance.”

“I did to?”

She snorted under the water and moved in closer to Nate. “Do you ever wonder about what could have been?”

“Oh yeah, plenty of times. And I think just about everyone of them doesn’t end here,” chuckled Nate. “But I like the hand I’ve been dealt. I like where I’ve ended up.”

“And there’s still so much left to do.”

“I can easily say I won’t get board,” agreed Nate with a laugh.

Elena grinned, her eyes moving to a type of fish that swam just above their heads. She moved closer to Nate, the sand underneath them shifting and rising up. Kissing him softly, she said, “Neither will I.”

* * *

 

“Come on,” said Chloe with a light smile. “All you got to do is slip in and then you’re there.”

“Just because you say it like that, doesn’t make this any easier,” Charlie replied.

Making a grab for one of his feet, Chloe retorted, “I will drag you in myself if I have to.”

“Alright! I’m coming okay? Just…a few more seconds.”

Chloe rolled her eyes but patiently waited as she watched Charlie slowly inch forward on the rocks. It had been a few days since his initial arrival and already Chloe was growing used to his being there. Thankfully, they had already agreed that if one left, the other would go with them. It didn’t matter if it was to pillage and plunder or simply to explore, they would do it together while safe in the knowledge that they did have a home to come back to.

For the moment though, Chloe resisted the urge not to drag Charlie into the water as the man slowly started to stick a foot in. He moved forward, inch by inch, slowly submerging himself, but the transformation didn’t actually happen until he was completely underwater.

Chloe watched with focused fascination as his legs formed a singular limb, the tail eventually revealing itself to be a deep, dark purple.

Chloe was there, making sure he didn’t hurt himself as he breathed underwater for the first time. Watching him warily try to make noises, try to speak underwater was incredibly amusing but eventually he managed to get a full sentence out.

“This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Hmm, I would say this probably tops my top ten list of weird things too,” chuckled Chloe. Carefully, she glided a hand over the newly formed scales and Charlie’s tail flicked involuntarily.

“Sorry.”

“No need. My legs were incredibly sensitive the first time I used them. It’ll take time getting used to,” Chloe replied.

She simply watched Charlie grow used to the movement of the water, the feel of the waves around him. It was amusing but also mesmerizing in its own way and she couldn’t help but smile as Charlie gave several experimental flicks with his tail. She never would have thought her life would lead her to this. It hadn’t been an easy road and would still be a difficult one farther down the line, but seeing where she was and who she was with actually made it worth it.

Charlie gave a few more flicks of his tail, moving up and moving back down. When he opened his mouth, he still looked like he expected to swallow a lung full of water but instead said, “Think you teach me a thing or two?”

“Gladly,” grinned Chloe. “Though I’ll warn you. You’ll never be as good as me.”

“I don’t think anyone could be.”

“Such a flatter,” laughed Chloe before speeding off through the water. She didn’t have to turn around to know Charlie was following her, jumping in feet first (or in this case tail first) in the new environment.

* * *

 

Rafe still didn’t quite fit in with preset bonds that everyone had. Still, Sam was somewhat an outlier as well, helping Rafe to feel he wasn’t alienated from what he could only describe as a family. And yes, even if he didn’t quite fit in yet, it was a family more than anything. He’d never felt as welcomed in his whole life as he did in Libertalia.

After things were explained further and talk was done, Sam had almost immediately launched himself into the water like an overexcited manchild, ready to see and feel what it was like being a merman. His tail had ended up being a dark navy blue that starkly contrasted with Rafe’s own white tail. After Sam had adjusted, the first thing Rafe did was hold him tight beneath the waves.

For a long time, he’d thought he’d never see Sam again, thought him dead, yet he’d certainly never imagined their current scenario either (though he definitely wasn’t complaining).

Several days later though, Sam was finally convincing him to try the transformation for himself, see what having two legs was like. Rafe was the slightest bit afraid, though he easily played that off with sarcastic comments and plenty of eye rolls. Yet when it finally came time to pull himself out of the water, that fear had only amplified enough to nearly make his heart stop.

They’d gone to a more secluded spot in the bay, away from where the humans and merfolk usually moved back and forth. Rafe had made Sam promise to not turn around until it was done and it was only when he knew Sam wasn’t looking that Rafe managed to pull himself out and onto solid ground.

The immediate sensation was a tingling one that started at the base of his spine before traveling through his legs. The moment the transformation was done, Rafe automatically hugged his new found legs to his chest, the action both odd and yet natural at the same time. He remained curled up, not saying a word.

Obviously, Sam must have turned around at some point though because he was soon there, kneeling next to him as he placed a comforting hand on the base of his neck.

“Hey, you alright?”

Rafe gave a silent nod as he concentrated on the contact with Sam’s hand. It took him a moment longer to actually say anything and thankfully, Sam waited until he could.

“What do you…” Rafe trailed off, unsure of what else to say. He pulled his legs in tighter, like he hoped to hide them, but then he felt Sam ease right next to him as he put his other hand on top of one of Rafe’s knees. He jumped slightly, the contact odd and unusual but certainly not unwelcomed.

“You’re still you Rafe. No matter the form,” Sam said with a reassuring smile. “And you’re still as gorgeous as ever.”

Rafe snorted at that, the tension slowly starting to leave his body. “Hmm, and you’ll always be terrible with flattery.”

“I excel at it. Thank you very much,” chuckled Sam with a grin.

He moved in closer and again, Rafe jumped as nerves that had never existed, at least not in quite that way, made contact with Sam’s clothes and skin. However he slowly eased into the comforting arm that Sam had started to offer as he experimentally wiggled his toes.

“I’m not sure what to think,” Rafe said honestly.

“Well neither did I went I first jumped in.”

“Are you kidding? You were a natural,” snorted Rafe. “You took to it like you’d been born to do it.”

Sam laughed and grinned, taking the compliment gladly. “Well even if you don’t, I will gladly carry you wherever you wish.”

Rafe rolled his eyes. “That is a ridiculous idea.”

“Yet extremely tempting at the same time.”

Laughing, Rafe felt Sam’s muscles tense, like he was getting ready to do just that. However, Rafe quickly said, “Perhaps we could simply…sit here for a moment.”

Right away, Sam eased back into his position near Rafe and kissed him lightly. “Hey whatever you want.”

That made Rafe smile as he curled up next to Sam, occasionally wiggling something or trying some unfamiliar motion. Right then and there, he had never been happier.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Behind the Sea](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7398826) by [ProtectRafeAdler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProtectRafeAdler/pseuds/ProtectRafeAdler)




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